Vienna: Three people were killed when their ski touring group was swept away by an avalanche in western Austria, and a fourth person was missing, police in the Tyrol region said on Wednesday.

Rescuers were still hunting for the missing person in the remote area near the Jochgrubenkopf, a roughly 2,450m-high peak.

File image of an avalanche in Europe. Credit:AP

The group of eight people was using touring skis, with which one can climb and descend, making remote areas accessible.

Their nationalities were not yet known, police said.