Boy, 14, dies following horror ski accident while on half-term holiday in Italy
A 14-year-old schoolboy has died following a skiing accident whilst on a half-term holiday with his family in Italy.
The British child, who was wearing a helmet, suffered serious injuries when he crashed into a tree after losing control on the slopes at around 9.30am on Saturday.
Paramedics rushed to the scene at Cortina D’Ampezzo ski resort to try and save the teenager, who had been in the middle of completing a red run.
After over 30 minutes spent trying to revive the boy using a defibrillator, he was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
Francesco Cataldo Giorgi, vice president of the Happy Ski school in Cortina, said the tragedy was “a matter of cruel bad luck”.
“Had he fallen just a few metres earlier or later, he may have escaped unharmed. But in this sport, one wrong fall in the wrong place can be fatal,” he told local media.
He added: “We must always exercise extreme caution.”
Witnesses said they spotted the boy who had built up significant speed before he hit a dip which propelled him forward into the tree.
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According to local reports, the family had been on holiday in the Bolzano region with two other families.
The families took to the slopes just 30 minutes before the tragic accident took place.
The parents of the 14-year-old boy are receiving medical and psychological support following the horrific accident, as they brace themselves to repatriate his body home.
“I am deeply sorry for this English boy and, both personally and as a municipal administration, we are close to the family affected by this immense tragedy”, the mayor of Cortina, Gianluca Lorenzi, said.
The 3.5km slope is now being assessed by investigators to see whether any unusual features could have played a part in the death of the British teenager.
Last week, the body of a 23-year-old British skier was found at the foot of a cliff in the French Alps resort of Avoriaz.
The young man had been skiing with friends on Sunday before spending time at the popular après-ski venue La Folie Douce in Avoriaz.
He later decided to ski down the mountainside alone.
When he failed to return to his accommodation, his concerned friends raised the alarm.
Police believe the skier may have taken a wrong turn and, upon realising he was in trouble, removed his skis before falling off a cliff and to his death.
A local police spokesman said: “The deceased is an English national who is thought to have been skiing on Sunday evening. His family have been informed.”