NATURAL DISASTER

9 Dead in Alps Avalanche

12 more hospitalized near French-Italian border.

A summer trek in the French Alps went horribly wrong on Thursday when an avalanche buried a group of European climbers on Mont Blanc, killing nine and sending 12 more to the hospital. Authorities had warned climbers of potentially treacherous conditions due to high winds and heavy snow that piled up in early summer storms, but the 28-strong group was reportedly on an oft-frequented trail that has not previously been considered risky territory. Officials said there were no signs Thursday morning that an avalanche might strike, though they think changes in temperature and significant rainfall over the past week could have contributed to the formation of ice sheets like the one that chipped off in the disaster. A local newspaper called it the deadliest accident the French Alps had seen in 11 years.