RESCUE OPERATIONS IN THE AVALANCHE AREA.




Initials RM/S/WH/JG



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: RESCUE WORKERS HAD TO RUN FOR THEIR LIVES TODAY (THURSDAY) WHEN CHUNKS OF ICE HURTLED DOWN THE ALLALIN GLACIER, IN SWITZERLAND, DURING THE SEARCH FOR MORE VICTIMS OF THE AVALANCHE AT THE MATTMARK DAM SITE. HOWEVER, THEY RECOVERED THREE MORE BODIES, LEAVING 79 PEOPLE STILL MISSING.

IN LAST MONDAY'S AVALANCHE, MORE THAN 400,000 TONS OF ICE AND ROCK CRASHED DOWN ON THE DAM CONSTRUCTION SITE FROM THE GLACIER, WHEN A FURTHER FALL INTERRUPTED RESCUE OPERATIONS TODAY, BLOCKS OF ICE AND HUGE ROCKS SWEPT PAST THE WORKERS ON A ROAD AT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE. EARLIER, TORRENTIAL RAIN, FOLLOWING OVERNIGHT SNOW AND A THICK MIST, HAMPERED THE RESCUE WORK.

OFFICIALS PLAN TO RESUME THE SEARCH FOR THE AVALANCHE VICTIMS WHEN THE DANGEROUS OVERCHANGING ICE HAS BEEN BROUGHT DOWN BY EXPLOSIVES. THE CHIEF ENGINEER AT THE SITE SAID SEARCHERS HAD BEEN OVER THE AREA WITH LISTENING DEVICES, TRYING TO DETECT SIGNS OF LIFE UNDER THE ICE, BUT THEY HEARD NOTHING. OFFICIALS HAVE SAID IT WOULD BE A MIRACLE IF ANYONE WAS FOUND ALIVE.