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The mother-son duo that died in an avalanche at Mont Blanc has been identified as Kate Vokes and Archie Vokes. The Independent reported that Kate and Archie were inside a resort on December 28, 2023. Apart from the duo, a hiker also died in the incident, and a skier and instructor were reportedly injured.
Kate Vokes served as the chairman of the Oglesby Charitable Trust and deputy chairman of the Royal Exchange Theatre. She was also a trustee of two charity organizations, Shared Health and Focused Care. On the other hand, Archie was pursuing his career as a personal trainer.
A spokesperson shared a statement on behalf of family members, saying that they are "heartbroken" after the deaths of Kate and Archie, and continued:
"Words cannot express how terrible we all feel nor the hole in our lives that has been left by this tragic accident. We kindly ask for privacy as we grieve together as a family."
The police department has already investigated the incident but the cause behind the avalanche has yet to be disclosed. However, the Bonneville public prosecutor's office believed two other tourists skiing near the location were possibly responsible for the avalanche.
Sky News states that Kate Vokes and Archie Vokes were skiing at the time of the incident, and were accompanied by three more people from their family and a ski instructor.
Kate Vokes and Archie Vokes' dead bodies were buried under the snow
On December 28, 2023, Kate Vokes and Archie Vokes were inside a resort near Chamonix called Saint-Gervais when an avalanche hit it. As mentioned earlier, a ski instructor and three members of the Vokes family were skiing with them, and none of them had an avalanche transceiver, which could have saved them.
As mentioned earlier, Kate was a chairman of the Oglesby Charitable Trust and deputy chairman of the Royal Exchange Theatre. Archie was a personal trainer, and he also launched his own training business.
In 2013, Kate reportedly met Queen Elizabeth II at the Factory Youth Zone, and Kate once revealed that she and the Queen were wearing blue-colored outfits, as per Daily Mail.
The Bonneville public prosecutor's office said in a statement that they have been in touch with the local authorities and are giving complete support to the Vokes family.
Jean-Marc Pillex, who serves as the Mayor of Saint-Gervais and Departmental Councilor of Mont-Blanc, responded by saying that continuous rain and snowfall have led to "unstable" conditions in the entire place. He continued:
"It's terrible what happened. A family is decimated, and we are very sad in Saint-Gervais."
After the incident, a search-and-rescue mission was launched with a team of 20 people, dogs, two helicopters, and a doctor. The rescue mission was conducted for around five hours until they found the dead bodies of Kate Vokes and Archie Vokes below the snow.
As per Sky News, Katie Vokes and Archie Vokes were revealed to be 54 and 22 years old, respectively.
