The incident was reported at the Val d'Isere resort around 11:30am on Friday
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Two Brits are believed to be among three people killed after an avalanche hit a popular ski resort in France.
The skiers were swept away at the Alpine resort of Val d'Isere after the avalanche struck at around 11:30am on Friday.
The resort's tourist office said one of the victims was French and the other two were British nationals.
Piste chief, Cedric Bonnevie, confirmed an investigation has been launched.
The two Brit nationals were part of a group of four skiers accompanied by a professional instructor and were skiing off-piste at the time, while the French victim, believed to be a woman, was said to have been skiing alone at the time it hit.
The tragedy comes after several ski resorts were forced to shut down as avalanche danger levels surge to the highest across vast stretches of the Alps.
The maximum 5/5 danger warning, reserved for the most extreme and deadly mountain condition, has been declared at multiple resorts.
The public prosecutor in Albertville, Benoît Bachelet, stated that a third British citizen suffered minor injuries.
Mr Bachelet also said alcohol and drug tests carried out on the instructor were negative.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office told LBC: "We are aware of an accident in which two British men have died in France. We are in contact with the local authorities and stand ready to offer consular assistance."
It comes after Storm Nill ripped through parts of Europe on Thursday, which brought heavy snow and rainstorms to France.
❄️ #Montagne | Les fortes précipitations des dernières heures ont entraîné des cumuls de 60 cm à 1 mètre de neige dans les massifs savoyards. Le retour d’un temps plus clément ce vendredi matin pourrait inciter certains pratiquants à sortir en montagne.
⚠️ La vigilance orange… pic.twitter.com/x12I7rLNJg— Préfète de la Savoie 🇫🇷 (@Prefet73) February 13, 2026
On X, the account for the Savoie prefecture – the State services in Savoie – advised against "off-piste activities, ski touring and snowshoeing."
They also urged "mountain enthusiasts to strictly comply with the instructions given by professionals and the safety services of the slopes."
Among some of the resorts to have closed include the French resorts of La Gave, Peisey-Vallandry, La Plagne, and Les Arcs.
The tragedy comes almost a month after eight skiers were killed and several more seriously injured after three avalanches hit Austria within a few hours of each other.
Another Brit, believed to be in his 50s, was killed while skiing off-piste with a group at La Plagne in the French Alps last month, when an avalanche struck.
LBC has contacted Val d'Isere for comment.
