On July 19, two French climbers, a 25-year-old woman and a 56-year-old man, lost their lives on Mont Blanc in the Alps. The Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne (PGHM) of Chamonix recovered their bodies from the base of 4,052m Aiguille de Bionnassay.
According to Aostasera, the climbers likely fell from the ridge of the Aiguille de Bionnassay, a technical route to Mont Blanc requiring significant experience. The search began Friday evening after family members, concerned by their failure to return, alerted authorities. The PGHM located the bodies on Saturday. Authorities have opened an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.
A deadly couple of years
This incident follows other recent fatalities in the Mont Blanc massif. On June 10, two climbers, a man and a woman in their 40s, were found dead below the Aiguille du Tricot on the Bionnassay Glacier, also likely from a fall.
On September 10 last year, two Italians and two South Koreans died of exhaustion after harsh weather stranded them near the summit of Mont Blanc. The next day, a 61-year-old Danish hiker fell 30m to his death near Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. On August 22, 2024, two Spanish climbers died in a rappelling accident on Mont Blanc du Tacul’s Gervasutti Couloir, and a 67-year-old climber fell into a crevasse on the Dome du Gouter.
Additionally, on July 13, 2025, a fatal accident occurred on the nearby 4,357m Dent Blanche in Switzerland’s Canton Valais, close to the Italian border. Two Austrian climbers, part of a group of five, fell on the mountain’s west face. A 46-year-old woman died, while her 46-year-old companion remains missing despite extensive search efforts complicated by adverse weather and rugged terrain, according to the Valais Cantonal Police.
