Two separate avalanches killed four Norwegians and one Swiss skier.

An avalanche in the French Alps on Wednesday killed four Norwegian skiers swept away by the off-piste torrent of snow and ice, officials in the southeastern Savoie region told AFP.

The victim, aged 55, died after being swept away by an avalanche in an off-piste sector in the Chamonix valley, at the foot of Mont Blanc, on Tuesday afternoon

The Brazilian-Portuguese national was found dead by mountain rescuers.

A British skier has died after being submerged by a ‘very large’ avalanche at a ski resort near Mont Blanc on Tuesday (January 28). The 55-year old was caught in the one-kilometre long and 400-metre wide avalanche whilst skiing in the Grands Montets ski area in the Herse sector.

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