Two people who died in an avalanche in the French Alps earlier this week were a mother and son from Manchester, their family have said.
The pair have been named as Kate Vokes, 54, and her son Archie Vokes, 22, who lost their lives after the avalanche swept through an off-piste section of the resort of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains near Mont Blanc on December 28.
It’s reported the avalanche spanned 400 metres long and struck at around 3.30pm. Emergency crews spent five hours retrieving bodies from the scene of the tragedy.
The pair had not been at the resort alone, and had been with three others. Ms Vokes’s husband survived, along with two others, according to the Daily Mail.
Ms Vokes was chair of the Oglesby Charitable Trust, a director of their family-owned property company Bruntwood, deputy chair of the Royal Exchange Theatre and a trustee of charities Shared Health and Focused Care.
Mr Vokes was a personal trainer at Form in Manchester, and in the previous year had achieved his level 1 ski instructor qualification in Canada.
A family spokesperson said: “We are beyond heartbroken at the loss of our beloved, wonderful Kate and Archie. 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.”
