At least four killed in avalanche at French skiing station

At least four people have been killed in an avalanche at the Alpine skiing station of Tignes, local authorities said on Monday.

A group of nine was buried after the avalanche swept through an off-piste area of the resort, and police say five people are still missing.

The group was reportedly made up of eight skiers and a guide.

"Five people are still buried under a huge mass of snow," a rescue official from nearby Albertville said.

Several of the victims are believed to have been under 20, according to the emergency services, who said they were from a “sports association”. No details of names or nationalities have been given.

The 400-metre wide avalanche occurred at an altitude of 2,100 metres, on an off-piste slope at 10.35am in the Savoie region of the central Alps, near the Italian border.

It appeared to have been set off by a group of skiers higher up, the ski station said in a statement.

Rescue services deployed two helicopters as well as sniffer dogs to help search for the missing skiers.

Local officials declared the avalanche risk throughout the region to be high, at a rating of three out of five.

This time is particularly busy for French skiing destinations, with families flocking to the resorts during the school half-term holidays.