The death of a seven-year-old Welsh boy who plunged down the side of a cliff during a family skiing holiday in France was accidental, an inquest has found.
Carwyn Scott-Howell, from Talybont-on-Usk, Powys, fell at least 49 metres (160ft) after leaving a piste in the French Alps. He had become separated from his family during the Easter trip.
Carwyn was reported missing from Flaine, 38 miles north-west of Chamonix, at 4.30pm local time. His body was found at the bottom of a cliff at 7pm after a helicopter search. Emergency services described the spot as a “dangerous, out-of-bounds area” and said rescuers had to be winched down from the helicopter to retrieve the body.
Michael Ollagnon, the police chief in the town of Bonneville, told reporters at the time: “It seems as if the boy did the last piste descent of the day on his own. He appears to have become lost before falling over the edge of the cliff after taking his skis off.”
An inquest into Carwyn’s death was held in Newport on Wednesday morning, where the coroner, David Bowen, delivered a conclusion of accidental death.
Bowen said Carwyn was a very experienced skier for his age, but he became separated from his family on the final run of their week-long trip after his mother, Ceri Scott-Howell, stopped to help his nine-year-old sister, Antonia, when she lost a ski.
Carwyn skied on and became lost off-piste, the inquest heard. In trying to return on foot, it is believed he started to slide down the mountain and fell over a cliff. His body was found on a ledge 50 metres (160ft) below.
Speaking after the inquest, Carwyn’s godmother, Lucy England, said: “Our lives were torn apart by the death of Carwyn in an accident that should never have happened. We as a family are still coming to terms with that day ... a huge hole has been left in our lives.”
The family, who run an award-winning produce business in the small village of Talybont-on-Usk in the Brecon Beacons, had previously issued a statement through the Foreign Office about their “adorable caring” son “who gave so much love”.
They said Carwyn “was a very competent skier and snowboarder who had started skiing at the age of three and spent several weeks each year skiing”.
They added: “We had spent the most happy ski holiday together in the French ski resort of Flaine. The family were all enjoying their last ski run over the small jumps and bumps at the side of the slope together, when Carwyn’s sister lost her ski on a jump and at this point Carwyn skied ahead.
“The family cannot explain their feeling of utter devastation, with a vast void in their hearts. The family would like to thank all their friends and family for their support at this time and the vast help from the British consulate.”
