Phil Ingle

Last night a car was buried under snow on the RD 902 just outside Barcelonnette, the road had been closed because of the danger of avalanches, but the occupants decided to ignore the signs.

The car in which four people had a miraculous escape

The snow crushed the roof of the car and blew out the windows, three of the four occupants were trapped in their seats. The fourth occupant, with bare hands, managed to dig a hole through the snow burying the vehicle and escape the entombment.

She then had to walk four kilometres, down a road at risk from avalanches, to alert the security services, who managed to get everyone out. They were cold and in shock, and very lucky to have escaped.

There is an article in French on the La Provence website.