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.

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 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.

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 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.