Two skiers have died, while another narrowly survived after being buried in the snow following an off-trail avalanche in Italy, close to the borders with France and Switzerland.
At least three skiers were caught up in Sunday morning´s avalanche on the Mont Blanc massif.
The tragedy occurred in the Couloir Vesses, a well-known freeride route in Courmayeur, in upper Val Veny, according to Italy’s Alpine Rescue.
One of the victims was taken to a hospital in serious condition but later died.
Fifteen rescuers, three canine units and two helicopters took part in the search and rescue efforts.
Courmayeur, a town with about 2,900 inhabitants, is 124 miles northwest of Milan, one of the venues hosting the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Another person was partially buried by an avalanche in Trentino, but was rescued by his companions, authorities reported on Sunday.
A record 13 backcountry skiers, climbers and hikers died in the Italian mountains during the first week of February, Alpine Rescue reported last Monday, including 10 in avalanches triggered by an exceptionally unstable snowpack.
A rescue helicopter arrived on the scene after two skiers died, while another narrowly survived after being buried in the snow following an off-trail avalanche in Italy
At least three skiers were caught up in Sunday morning´s avalanche on the Mont Blanc massif
Fifteen rescuers, three canine units and two helicopters took part in the search and rescue
Fresh snowfall during recent storms and wind-swept snowcaps on weak internal layers have created especially risky conditions along the entire Alpine crescent bordering France, Switzerland and Austria, Alpine Rescue said.
The latest incident comes just after two Brits were among three people killed in an avalanche in the French Alps, a day after several ski resorts shut down due to the risk of snowslides.
Friday’s avalanche in Val d’Isere swept away six skiers in an off-piste area of the slopes, killing one French national and the two Britons, as red alerts were issued across the Alps.
Emergency services responded quickly but could not prevent the deaths, a resort official said, noting that all of the victims had avalanche transceivers.
The deaths followed a rare, day-long red alert across the south-eastern Savoie region on Thursday – a danger level issued only twice before, since the system was introduced 25 years ago. The warning prompted several resorts to close all or part of their pistes.
On Friday, the red alert was lifted in Savoie but the risk level remained high across the Alps, with ‘very unstable snow cover’, especially above 1,800 to 2,000 metres altitude, according to the Meteo France weather service.
Storm Nils, which passed through France on Thursday, dumped 60 to 100 centimetres of snow, according to the weather service.
A third British citizen suffered minor injuries from the avalanche on Friday, public prosecutor in Albertville, Benoit Bachelet said.
The avalanche in Val d’Isere on Friday swept away six skiers in an off-piste area of the slopes, killing one French national and the two Britons, as red alerts were issued across the Alps
The two Britons killed in Val-d’Isere were part of a group of four skiers accompanied by a professional instructor and were skiing off-piste at the time (file pic)
The two Britons killed were part of a group of four skiers accompanied by a professional instructor and were skiing off-piste at the time.
All were equipped with avalanche safety gear, including transceivers, shovels and probes, according to the resort.
The public prosecutor, Mr Bachelet, said alcohol and drug tests carried out on the instructor were negative.
Piste chief Cedric Bonnevie said one of the victims appeared to have been caught high up on the slope.
The other two were among a group of five, including a professional guide, further down the mountain face and did not see the avalanche coming.
It was not clear what caused the avalanche, Mr Bonnevie said.
It comes after avalanches killed two skiers in the French Alps last Monday, following the deaths of two others in a separate slide last weekend.
A 38-year-old man was killed in Saint-Agnes near Grenoble, local police said. The skier he was with was unharmed.
Another man, in his early 30s, was the victim of a ‘very large avalanche’ while skiing in an off-piste area near the village of Montgenevre, said local prosecutor Marion Lozac’hmeur.
Yet another who was with the victim was unharmed, she added.
Meanwhile an avalanche killed two off-piste ski tourers in the French Alps last Saturday, near Saint-Veran, known as the highest village in the French Alps.
The two victims were part of a group of four unguided skiers, when an avalanche swept down the north side of the Tete de Longet mountain peak.
Avalanches have already claimed the lives of at least 20 skiers across the French, Swiss, Italian and Austrian Alps so far this season.
Last month, a British man was reportedly among six skiers killed in avalanches in the French Alps.
The Englishman, believed to be in his 50s, was skiing off-piste at the La Plagne resort in the south-east of France, the resort said in a statement.
Rescue teams received an avalanche alert at 1.57pm on January 11 and immediately went to the site, the resort said.
A team of more than 50 people, including medics, ski school instructors and a helicopter-deployed piste dog, were called in.
The man was located after 50 minutes, buried under eight feet of snow, but could not be revived, the resort said.
He was with a group when the avalanche struck, but was not equipped with an avalanche transceiver and was not with a professional instructor, it added.
The Daily Mail previously reported at least 17 deaths on European slopes between December and January.