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.

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.

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

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

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

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,

It was an avalanche of great size which was triggered outside the ski area,' says Val-Cenis mayor - Anadolu Ajansı

Four Norwegians and a Swiss woman were reportedly killed in avalanches while skiing off-piste in the French Alps on Wednesday. The Norwegians were part of a group of seven that was swept away by an avalanche in Val-Cenis in the southeastern Savoie region near the Italian border.