ANKARA, Feb 2 (AFP) - Rescuers on Wednesday pulled out the dead body of a Russian snowboarder who was trapped under snow following a small avalanche at a popular ski resort in eastern Turkey, a local official said.
The young man, believed to be about 18 years old, was found buried under 10 meters (35 feet) of snow two hours after the incident at the Palandoken resort in Erzurum province, deputy governor Aslan Karanfil told AFP.
He was among five Russian snowboarders who were practising in an area outside the normal ski run, which was off-limits to skiers.
"We believe the group triggered the avalanche by practising on snow not ripe for skiing in the banned area," Karanfil said.
Three of the remaining snowboarders escaped the avalanche, while one managed to extricate himself from under the snow, Karanfil added.
Efforts were under way to identify the dead man, the deputy governor said.
02/02/2005 15:52 GMT - AFP