A student from Oxford University has died during a ski trip with friends in the French Alps.
Matt Smith was found unconscious in his room at the resort of Val Thorens.
According to reports, attempts by his friends to resuscitate him failed.
Paramedics were unable to revive the student and he was pronounced dead at the scene from a suspected cardiac arrest.
Matt’s father, Howard Smith told
The Evening Standard that he was trying to come to terms with his son’s sudden passing and would be flying out to France immediately.
“The most important thing for us is that Matt was with his friends. His friends meant so much to him. He was with everybody skiing, close to the snow, doing what he loved,” said his father.
According to local authorities, the students arrived by coach on Saturday and immediately began drinking.
The resort has been criticized for its unsafe drinking culture and encouraging drunken antics.
In previous years, reports surfaced that students were racing drunkenly down the slopes in a Valley Rally challenge.
An autopsy is expected to take place this coming week.
