Two separate avalanches killed four Norwegians and one Swiss skier.

A British skier has died following a “very large” avalanche in the French Alps. The 55-year-old man was found in the snow in an off-piste sector in a valley in Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blanc. The avalanche, which happened on Tuesday afternoon, is estimated to have been 1km long and 400m wide.

Four Norwegian skiers died on Wednesday, January 29, in an avalanche in the French Alps, according to the authorities of the Haute Savoie region.

The avalanche fell in an off-piste part of Les Grands Montets where the 55-year old man had been skiing. It was spotted by a ski patrol on its way to close the area to the public, due to very poor conditions. Rescue teams attended the scene, where the skier was pronounced dead.

Two separate avalanches killed five skiers across the French Alps on Wednesday, according to several news reports. Four of the deceased — all Norwegians — were caught in an avalanche at Val-Cenis. Three of them were pronounced dead at the scene,