In neighbouring ski-resort Tignes, a group of nine Polish skiers were swept away by an avalanche. Eight managed to escape but one was found dead.

In nearby Les Arcs, the body of another skier who went missing on Saturday was found on Sunday morning.

In the mountains of Beauges, below the skiing resort of Chatelard, two hikers were also swept away by an avalanche. One of them was thrown against a 40m-high rock face, killing him instantly.

In Haute Savoie, three hikers were caught in an avalanche below the village of Bernex, near Evian. Two escaped but the third, a 30-year-old man from Lyon, was killed instantly.

The two men, missing since Saturday near the entrance to the tunnel of Mont-Blanc that links Italy with France, below Chamonix, are experienced climbers. Rescuers, who started searching as soon as the absence was reported on Sunday, found a sleeping bag belonging to one of the men soon after the hunt started. The search continues...