Avalanche kills seven climbers in Pelvoux district of French Alps
At least seven people have been killed and another has been seriously injured after an avalanche swept them away in the Pelvoux district of the French Alps, local officials say.
Pierre Besnard, a local official said on Tuesday that the avalanche occurred at around midday local time (10:00 GMT) on the 4,000 meter-high (13,000ft) Dome de Neige des Ecrins Mountain.
"The toll has increased -- seven people have died," said Besnard, who had earlier put the number of deaths at five.
At least two helicopters and 10 police personnel are taking part in the ongoing rescue operation. The rescuers were continuing their search to determine if there were no more victims.
Some reports indicate that two Germans and three people from the Czech Republic were among those killed in the incident.
Meanwhile, Christian Flagella, a member of the police force in the Hautes-Alpes region, has said that a "wind slab" avalanche - where a wall of snow re-deposited by wind breaks off - was likely to be the cause of the natural disaster.
“The conditions are winter-like at the moment,” media outlets quoted Flagella as saying.
The incident marks the latest in a series of avalanche disasters in the French Alps. The avalanche is the deadliest snowslide to hit the popular mountain range this year.
Also in late January, the bodies of six skiers were recovered after an avalanche that swept them away in the Queyras mountain range in the French Alps. Rescue workers found the bodies of the skiers, aged between 50 and 70, after they triggered an avalanche in the range straddling France and Italy.
Skiers and climbers are sporadically caught in avalanches in the Alps, particularly during the winter season.
Dozens of people die in avalanches in the French mountain ranges annually.
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