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White death
An avalanche is the most An avalanche is an abrupt flow of snow, often mixed with
hazardous event in the air and water.
mountains and can cause
great loss to life and
property. Every year,
avalanches kill about
150 people worldwide,
mostly skiers, snowmobilers,
and snowboarders.
Yungay, Peru, 1970
The most catastrophic
rock-ice avalanche known in
history was triggered by an
earthquake of magnitude 7.7
in Peru on 31 May, 1970. At
3.23 p.m., many of the twenty
thousand residents of the city
of Yungay were tuned in to
a World Cup football game
on the radio, when
the earthquake
shook northern
Peru. The quake
shook the northern
wall of Mount
Huascaran in the
Andes Mountains,
and millions of
tonnes of ice broke
loose from the
high slopes. They
rolled down sixteen
kilometres to the
city of Yungay at
160 kilometres an
hour, gathering
mud and debris
on the way.
TICKER The Nevados Huascaran avalanche flattened the towns of Yungay
and Ranrahirca and was probably one of the deadliest avalanches
in history.
Switzerland has most avalanche deaths due to the high density of mountain settlements.
An avalanche is the most An avalanche is an abrupt flow of snow, often mixed with
hazardous event in the air and water.
mountains and can cause
great loss to life and
property. Every year,
avalanches kill about
150 people worldwide,
mostly skiers, snowmobilers,
and snowboarders.
Yungay, Peru, 1970
The most catastrophic
rock-ice avalanche known in
history was triggered by an
earthquake of magnitude 7.7
in Peru on 31 May, 1970. At
3.23 p.m., many of the twenty
thousand residents of the city
of Yungay were tuned in to
a World Cup football game
on the radio, when
the earthquake
shook northern
Peru. The quake
shook the northern
wall of Mount
Huascaran in the
Andes Mountains,
and millions of
tonnes of ice broke
loose from the
high slopes. They
rolled down sixteen
kilometres to the
city of Yungay at
160 kilometres an
hour, gathering
mud and debris
on the way.
TICKER The Nevados Huascaran avalanche flattened the towns of Yungay
and Ranrahirca and was probably one of the deadliest avalanches
in history.
Switzerland has most avalanche deaths due to the high density of mountain settlements.
