PARIS: An avalanche in the French Alps has swept five climbers to their deaths and left two missing.

Pierre Besnard, prefect of the Hautes-Alpes region, told BFM television that the avalanche Tuesday afternoon hit three groups of climbers on the highly traveled dome of the Ecrins massif, which reaches 4,000 meters (13,000 feet), near the town of Pelvoux. He said foreign climbers were among the dead but offered no details. Besnard said search and rescue teams, including two helicopters, are in the area. One climber was gravely injured.

UPDATE

Avalanche kills seven

GRENOBLE: Seven people were killed on Tuesday when an avalanche swept them away in the French Alps. The avalanche struck around midday at the Snow Dome in the Alps’ Massif des Ecrins, a high mountain that is hugely popular with climbers. Rescuers, backed by three helicopters and sniffer dogs, were dispatched to the scene but local official Pierre Besnard said search operations had now ended and the climbers’ bodies were being transported down.