Avalanche barrels down mountain toward tourists - GIF

[Altair]

Avalanche barrels down mountain toward a group of tourists in Kyrgyzstan. No one in the group sustained major injuries.




Previously:

Triggering an artificial avalanche - GIF
Helmet cam view of snowmobiler caught in avalanche - GIF
Calving glacier - GIF
Cliff collapses into lake - GIF
Falling boulder smashes vehicle - GIF

[hemmjo]

I am thinking I would have started backing away a bit earlier. But, I can relate to wanting to stay and watch things unfold.

[Frank S]

I am thinking I would have started backing away a bit earlier. But, I can relate to wanting to stay and watch things unfold.

I don't know about backing away, avalanches travel at great speeds, but immediately seeking the shelter of a large rock outcropping, cave or alcove, anything substantial to have between you and the onslaught would be worth more than footage of a video, I would think.

[Hoosiersmoker]

And he was never heard from again...

[hemmjo]

BUT, they found the camera so we can see the footage.

[neilbourjaily]

I don't know about backing away, avalanches travel at great speeds, but immediately seeking the shelter of a large rock outcropping, cave or alcove, anything substantial to have between you and the onslaught would be worth more than footage of a video, I would think.

320kph is relatively common for avalanches. One that size could easily exceed that. It is a wonder those tourists did survive.

[hemmjo]

Listen very closely to the first seconds of that video. Do you hear 3 pops, possible “explosions”, off in the distance? Perhaps that was triggered?

OR... it could just be my imagination.

[neilbourjaily]

I think it was already moving when the pops came, though that could just be a sound delay given the distance. Does anybody have a good guess for the distance? Another thing to consider in this miraculous survival is the tonnage of rock carried by an avalanche. It makes me wonder if this video was recovered by a "rescue" team.