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10 Missing on Mont Blanc du Tacul in Deadly Month for Climbers

It's been another tragic weekend in the mountaineering world, as ten climbers have gone missing in France's Mont Blanc range following a major avalanche. A large block of ice triggered Sunday's 3:00 a.m. slide on Mont Blanc du Tacul, one of the peaks along the route to the 4,810-meter summit of Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in the Alps. Eight injured climbers were taken to a nearby hospital. Efforts to rescue the missing climbers were launched early Sunday morning, but had to be temporarily suspended in the afternoon due to warm weather, which increases the likelihood of further slides.

The Mont Blanc tragedy comes just three weeks after a similar incident on Pakistan's K-2, in which eleven climbers perished in an ice avalanche. In both cases, it looks like bad luck rather than climber error was the main factor, but either way we'd only attempt it with a world-class guide, the best equipment available, and about ten more years of climbing experience.

[Photo: AP]

Related Stories:
· 10 Climbers Missing After Mont Blanc Avalanche [AP/USA Today]
· Mountain Climbing Coverage [Jaunted]