Seven dead in French Alps avalanche

Seven mountaineers were killed Tuesday when an avalanche swept them away in the French Alps, a local official said.

The incident happened on the Dôme de Neige des Ecrins mountain in the southeast of the country, Pierre Besnard, a Hautes-Alpes official, said in a statement.

He said the avalanche happened around midday at an altitude of around 13,000 feet. The mountain, which has summit of almost 13,200 feet, is near the town of Pelvoux.

Besnard told BFM television that the avalanche struck three groups of climbers. He said that foreigners were among the dead and one climber is injured.

Le Parisien reported that two Germans and three people from the Czech Republic were among those killed, and a Polish national was injured.

Two helicopters, 11 police, two doctors and search dogs were dispatched in the rescue effort, Besnard said.

Dôme de Neige des Ecrins is described as “a very beautiful and easy to climb mountain for beginners” on the summitpost.org mountaineering website.