Mathieu Biselx, pictured, has described the horrific moment his three climbing friends were engulfed by snow on Ben Nevis
A climber who survived the Ben Nevis disaster in which three people were killed has described the horrific moment his friends were engulfed by snow after one of them shouted: 'Avalanche!'
Mathieu Biselx, 30, was seriously wounded in the avalanche on Britain's tallest peak which 'wiped out' the rest of his climbing party.
He was airlifted to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where he remains in a stable condition in intensive care.
Speaking from his hospital bed, the father-of-one said it was a 'miracle I am still alive' but said: 'My three closest friends are dead'.
One of the dead climbers, aged 43, was also Swiss and the others, aged 41 and 32, were French. Their next of kin have been informed.
The group were caught by the river of snow and ice in a gully on Ben Nevis as Storm Gareth blew in with strong winds on Tuesday morning, triggering a huge search and recovery operation in 'brutal conditions', a rescuer said.
Mr Biselx, father of a little girl, said the group arrived in Scotland on Sunday evening and the climb on Tuesday was their first excursion on the mountain.
Talking to Swiss newspapers Le Nouvelliste and Tribune De Geneve, he said: 'We were not very high and all of a sudden we heard a noise. One of us yelled: 'Avalanche'.
'We got into a safe position but in two seconds we were swept away by heavy, compact snow. I felt myself fly through the rocks.'
Describing how he freed his head from the mass of snow, he said: 'I called my friends, I shouted. No response. Then I realised the magnitude of the drama.'
A diagram showing Number 5 Gully on Ben Nevis, where the avalanche struck on Tuesday
