Five skiers killed in avalanches in French Alps

Five skiers killed in avalanches in French Alps{mosimage}Five skiers were killed in avalanches in the French Alps Thursday, buried under snowslides as they skied off-piste, police said.

Mountain rescue services urged skiers to exercise great caution in the northern French Alps, where the risk of avalanches was estimated at level four on a scale of five Thursday. Heavy snowfall has hit the region since Monday.

Two skiers were swept away and killed at the Arcs station, where they were skiing off-piste with a guide, police said. The victims were equipped with avalanche beacons to send out digital signals, but rescuers could not reach them quickly enough.

In the Deux-Alpes station, a ski patroller was carried away by an avalanche that he triggered off-piste. Several minutes later, a snowslide nearby at the same station buried another skier. He was promptly rescued but died of injuries at the hospital, police said. Another skier was killed in the Menuires station.

– The Associated Press