Two nurses from Oxfordshire buried alive as an avalanche swept through the French Alps have spoken to the Oxford Mail about their ordeal.

First-time skier Maddie Sidani and her friend Karen Tinner were covered by a wall of snow on the same day another avalanche killed ten people in a neighbouring resort.

At first they thought a bomb had gone off. Trees were stripped and Alpine deer swept away as the avalanche hurtled towards them. The pair eventually dug to the surface after being buried for at least a minute.

They were walking in the village of Tignes les Brevieres on Tuesday when a wall of snow broke away from the mountain, leaving skiers just 20 seconds to dash for safety.

Radcliffe Infirmary nurse Maddie, 32, who lives off London Road, Headington, said: "We heard a large bang, a rumble and an explosion and this 220mph wind. We could not breathe and were engulfed. I put my hands up out of instinct. It was my first time skiing - I did not know what to do in an avalanche. "It happened so fast and all I saw was black around me, I do not know if I blacked out."

Karen, 33, of Arkell Avenue, Carterton, said the pair were sightseeing with friends because there was no skiing.

"We came out of a shop and we wanted to walk along the road to look at the lake. The next thing we knew there was a big rumble and a gust of wind.

"We ran, but the snow overtook us and we were engulfed in it."

Maddie and Karen, who works in Bristol, were buried alive but managed to haul themselves out.

Karen added: "As we were running we could not breathe and the next thing we were covered in snow. I could initially move my legs and all I could see was a white area around me. It was just incredible.

"We all thought we were going to die. We just pulled ourselves out by putting our hands out." Friend Paul Macey, 29, from Bristol, said: "We had actually been talking about avalanches because we had heard rumours about what had happened further up the valley. Then there was this almighty rumble and I looked up and saw the whole mountain coming down."

Karen suffered broken ribs and a back injury but is able to walk. The others in the group were less seriously injured. Karen's mum Margaret said: "It was very frightening. Other people have been killed out there.

"We're just relieved that she has survived."

The friends were part of a 60-strong party organised by the Bristol Lawn Tennis and Squash Club. They had been staying at the Chalet Hotel les Chardons, near Chamonix.

Story date: Thursday 11 February

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