MfE: avalanche casualties in Sochi used forbidden route

The women, who died under an avalanche at the ski resort "Roza Khutor" in Sochi, were skiing along the avalanche-prone route section, said Igor Oder, the head of the Southern Regional Centre of the Russia's Ministry for Emergencies (MfE).

"It was banned for skiing; however, there are extreme-lovers, who search for 'wild' snow and try to ski there," Mr Oder said at the press conference.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 23 at the ski resort "Roza Khutor", in the middle part of the route called "Labyrinth", an avalanche went down with the snow mass of 8000 cubic meters. It covered six skiers, two of them died. The women were residents of the Krasnodar Territory, born in 1968 and 1998.

Rescue services responded promptly; and the perished women were found quickly, said Igor Oder and noted that the avalanche danger was forecasted on the day when the women died.

Earlier, members of the Krasnaya Polyana Search-and-Rescue Unit told, in their comments to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that, in their opinion, the control of special services at this incident was insufficient. The ICRF has launched a pre-investigation check on the accident.