Skiers had a lucky escape after an avalanche struck a busy ski slope at a French resort.

Rescuers launched a search operation after it was feared "many" had been swept away by the snowslide which hit a piste called Carline in the Val Claret area of Tignes.

French authorities later confirmed no one was injured or killed in the sudden snowfall.

The alarm was raised at around 10am local time and the entire ski run at the popular resort closed.

"Several skiers have been shaken up and taken care of by resort personnel," the resort said in a statement.


"Emergency staff were deployed immediately. After the search operations, there are no victims to report."

Sky Reporter Angela Barnes, in Tignes, said: "There was only two lifts open today because of very high winds and lots of snow.

"People coming down the mountain were in a very upsetting state.

"I overheard one poor fellow saying his friend was up there.

"The area's now been cordoned off.

"The avalanche risk was high today and people were advised not to ski off-piste.

"You don't expect avalanches to happen on-piste because they are the groomed slopes.

"This was actually one of the safe zones today that we were actually getting ready to go up and ski ourselves and then we heard it was forbidden and the news of what had happened."

The risk of an avalanche - normally assessed only for off-piste and closed slopes - had been at four on a scale of five.

Last month four snowboarders were killed by a 100m wide avalanche which hit an off-piste slope known as Toviere, near Tignes.

Tignes, along with neighbouring Val d'Isere, is part of Espace Killy, one of the largest ski areas in the world.