FRENCH ALPS AVALANCE KILLED SIX

CHAMONIX, French - An avalanche near the French Alpine ski resort of Chamonix has left six people dead and eight injured, police say.
The alarm was sounded shortly before 05:30 local time (03:30 GMT) by one of the injured on the slopes of Mont Maudit, reports say.
Foreigners are thought to be among the victims. Emergency services have begun an operation to help the injured.
The mountain is known as a popular route for summer tourists heading for the summit of Mont Blanc.
The climbers are believed to have been roped together in several groups when the avalanche struck.

• All of the injured have been evacuated by helicopter to nearby hospitals, as police supported by search dogs continued to look for survivors.
• Mont Maudit - meaning the cursed mountain - is the third-highest peak in the Mont Blanc massif range, rising to 4,465m (14,650 ft).
• A Despite being popular as a tourist destination with thousands of Britons in both the winter and summer, the Mont Blanc range is one of the most lethal in the world.
  

Source: BBC