ROSTOV-ON-DON, March 5 (RIA Novosti) - Three teams of rescue workers have been dispatched to search for possible survivors following an avalanche that hit a popular ski resort in southern Russia Sunday, a local emergencies ministry spokesperson said Monday.
The avalanche hit Krasnaya Polyana, near the Black Sea resort of Sochi at 3:10 p.m. Moscow time (12:10 p.m. GMT) Sunday, the ministry said earlier, adding that a 10-year-old child was killed and three people might still be trapped beneath the snow.
"According to eyewitnesses, there were four people in the avalanche area," the ministry official said. "We still do not know the fate of those who might be buried beneath the snow."
A total of 50 rescue workers will sweep the area in search of the missing people, he said.
The Krasnaya Polyana ski resort is considered the centerpiece of Sochi's bid to host the XXII Winter Olympic Games in 2014.
