Briton dies at Italian ski resort

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A British businessman has died after crashing into a barrier while sliding down a mountain at an Italian ski resort on a rubber mattress.

David Monk, 46, crashed into a fence at the resort of Sauze d'Oulx, west of Turin, on Saturday night.

The father of two, from Ware in Hertfordshire, was on holiday with friends when the accident occurred. He died from head and chest injuries.

A second man needed hospital treatment after being hurt in the same accident.

His injuries are not considered life-threatening, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said.

Reports said Mr Monk and three friends slid down a ski slope on rubber mattresses at the Sauze d'Oulx resort, in the Via Lattea.

Mr Monk suffered fractures to his head and chest after crashing into a fence, reports said.

His neighbour in Ware, Patrick Light, said: "I think we're all very shocked by what's happened."

Another neighbour, Margaret Humphreys, said: "It's a tremendous shock. It's dreadful for the family."

Local police are treating his death as an accident.

Sauze d'Oulx is one of the five villages which make up the Via Lattea - or Milky Way - ski area close to the French border in northern Italy.