Two die as rockfall crushes family car on popular route near Chamonix
The parents in the front seats survived. The four were returning from a holiday outing
Fears of further rockfalls in the area persist. Photo for illustrative purposes only
Zhelenkov Andrey/Shutterstock
Two people have died and another is in critical condition after a block of rock above a road detached and fell onto a car near Chamonix yesterday (August 20).
The vehicle – whose passengers were two parents, their son, and his girlfriend – was travelling along the RN205 near Passy (Haute-Savoie) when the accident occurred at around 18:00.
The four, from the north of France, were on holiday in nearby Combloux driving back from the nearby Parc Animalier de Merlet.
Rocks cascaded down a steep wall bordering the road and landed onto the vehicle.
The passengers in the back of the car, both in their 20s, died inside the vehicle, with the two parents in the front being rushed to hospital.
More than 50 firefighters, police officers, and other emergency service workers attended the scene.
Storms in the area meant that up to 25mm of rain had fallen around Passy in the previous 24 hours, including up to 15mm between 18:00 and 19:00 when the rockslide occurred.
However, state forecaster Météo France said this level of rainfall was intense but not exceptional given the stormy conditions.
Fear of further rockfall
The RN205 and several other roads in the area were temporarily closed following the accident over fears of further rock falls, leading to difficulties for drivers attempting to make their way to the Mont Blanc tunnel.
The Egratz viaduct was opened to two-way traffic with a reduced speed-limit in a bid to ease the traffic. The area around the accident zone remains closed this morning.
Mountain rescue officials surveyed the nearby mountains from a helicopter to assess whether further rockfall in the area was likely.
The RN205 is a major road in the area that sees more than 18,000 vehicles pass through per day during the tourist season, and is one of the major routes taken to Alpine resorts for the winter season.
Several major rockfalls in the Alps have been recorded in recent years, including one in the Maurienne Valley in 2023 that closed direct rail traffic between Paris and Milan for more than 18 months.
