Two British skiers have been killed by an avalanche on Mont Blanc in France.

Mountain rescuers found a 54-year-old mother and her 22-year-old son dead under snow that hit a narrow gulley around Saint-Gervais, a resort near Chamonix, on Thursday afternoon.

Officials believe it may have been triggered by two ski tourers who were uphill of the British family, skiing in the Pirolettes couloir.

The mother and son had been skiing with three other family members and a freelance ski instructor, whom they had known for several years, the Bonneville Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Friday.

No one in the family was wearing an avalanche transceiver, which emits a silent signal that can be detected if buried under snow.

A major search and rescue operation was immediately launched, involving around 20 rescuers, two dog teams, a doctor and two helicopters.

The team rescued one other injured person, reportedly an instructor, and five further people.

Mother and four children found dead in Paris flat on Christmas Day

Hundreds of Indian citizens grounded in France for human trafficking investigation land in India

Plane grounded in France for human trafficking investigation heading for India

A 31-year-old hiker was also killed on a separate slope.

Read more:
Hundreds of people grounded in France for human trafficking investigation land in India
Huge waves smash California beaches, injuring eight and leaving buildings flooded

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

A foreign office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of two British people who died in France and are in contact with the local authorities.”

An investigation into manslaughter has been opened, and the cause of the avalanche is being investigated.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Saint-Gervais mayor Jean-Marc Peillex said weather conditions had been too unstable for such outings.

He told BFM television: “It rained, it snowed, it was warm. There are enough marked paths to ski on.

“It’s terrible what happened. A family is decimated, and we are very sad in Saint-Gervais.”

Related posts:

Japan’s Princess Mako loses royal status after marrying commoner boyfriend Army restructure sees hundreds of British tanks and troops return to Germany British woman wins appeal to overturn conviction for lying about Cyprus gang rape Russian police detain children and old women as they try to quell anti-war movement Kherson ‘becomes first city to fall to Russia’ – but why is it so important? Three astronauts return to Earth from China’s longest ever crewed mission US and South Korea step up moves to deter North’s nuclear threat – but offer COVID-19 aid Spain relaxes COVID entry rules for Britons ahead of summer holidays US deploys aircraft carrier to the east coast of Korean peninsula after Pyongyang fires missile over Japan China records first population decline in 60 years as birth rate plunges ‘It’s like a true rebirth’: How the Invictus Games has saved lives The spectre of a second war in Europe looms large after period of relative calm