Three killed amid high risk of avalanches across Western Alps

Three skiers were killed by avalanches in eastern France on Saturday as forecasters warned of increased risks across the Western Alps due to recent snowfall.

Two people were skiing off-piste in the Val d'Isère skiing area, near the Italian border, when they were buried under 2.5 metres of snow, local media reported, citing the local tourism office.

Members of their group who had remained on piste called the emergency services, but rescue workers were unable to resuscitate the two after locating them thanks to their mobile phones.

Another skier was killed by an avalanche in unsecured terrain in Arêches-Beaufort, some 40 kilometres to the north-east, according to media reports. A second skier was brought to hospital with severe injuries.

Elsewhere in the region, the risk of avalanches was also severe.

Bavaria's Avalanche Warning Service issued a Level 4 warning for the Allgäu Alps, a mountain range located on the Austrian-German border, warning of a "high" risk of avalanches on Sunday due to snowdrifts, which can come down with little to no impact.

For areas below the tree line, a Level 3 warning applies, meaning there is "considerable" risk of avalanches.

Warning services in Austria also issued alerts for the western parts of the Tyrol region as well as the Vorarlberg region.

Meteorologists in Tyrol warned of large avalanches, saying the hazards were difficult to spot even for experienced winter sport enthusiasts.

The risk of avalanches is also high across the Swiss Alps and across the border in eastern France, according to local forecasts.

Conditions are particularly critical off-piste in unsecured terrain, the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF warned.

Avalanche reports have five levels, ranking from low to very high. However, caution is also advised during the two lowest levels, accounting for more than a third of those killed by an avalanche.