UK Edition
Two Britons in critical condition after hit and run in French Alps ski resort
Two young Britons are in a critical condition after being apparently the victims of a hit and run incident in the French Alps, local media is reporting.
Police have issued a call for witnesses.
The pair, a woman and man thought to be aged 25 and 30, were hit shortly after 9pm on Wednesday night near a bus stop at the ski resort of La Clusaz in the Haute-Savoie region. Police said they were thought to be tourists - probably on a ski holiday.
A British passport belonging to the man was found at the scene, police said. Neither has been named. British consular officials have been informed of the incident but no friends or family have come forward, French gendarmes told the Telegraph.
Commander Guy Lemenu of Annecy gendarmerie said: "We're treating this as a hit-and-run incident. It appears the motorist hit the pair at very high speed and drove off leaving them for dead. We can tell this as there is debris from the car up to 30 metres from the bus stop."
"They were clearly thrown high into the air and suffered multiple injuries and broken bones," he said.
Detectives believe the motorist was driving at breakneck speed in the direction of the ski resort when the collision occurred.
Critically injured, the pair were evacuated to nearby Annecy hospital. The woman was later transferred to Grenoble hospital.
Despite their life-threatening injuries, the pair were said to be in a "stable condition" on Thursday.
No witnesses have come forward. The vehicle involved has not been found but police are currently seeking to identify the make via debris.
A passing motorist found the seriously injured pair on Wednesday night by the road side in a relatively isolated spot. The driver tried to give first aid to the pair and alerted emergency services.
A woman who works at Aravis Passion, an equestrian centre located near the accident, said: “The street lighting is not very strong along the road and many cars drive too fast.
"A lot of people walk along that road after going out to restaurants and then they walk home to their chalets and apartments. We heard the police last night but we didn’t actually see anything. It’s so terrible.”
The local gendarmerie has launched an investigation, which is being handled by the crime squad in Annecy.
Gendarmes have issued a call for witnesses to come forward.
"We still don't know what the pair were doing at this relatively isolated spot and where they were staying," said Mr Lemenu.
Close to Lake Annecy and within an easy hour’s drive of Geneva airport, La Clusaz has well-groomed intermediate and advanced slopes often overlooked by skiers and snowboarders driving past on their way towards the Trois Vallées and other famous resorts of the Tarentaise.
As well as making La Clusaz an ideal spot for the weekend, airport convenience explains why many Britons have bought chalets and apartments there.
La Clusaz and smaller Manigod share 132km of ski runs.