Rescuers looking for two British and two French skiers in the Italian Alps have found three bodies.

A search was launched for the four above the resort of Courmayeur in the Valle d'Aosta on Sunday when they failed to return to their hotel after skiing off-piste.

On Sunday, two Italian skiers were killed by avalanches - one in the same region, the other in the Alto Adige (South Tyrol) region.

Authorities had warned that the risk of avalanches was high in the Italian Alps during the weekend.

There have been several fatalities in the Alps in recent weeks due to avalanches and bad weather.


Two British men fell to their deaths while skiing off-piste in the French Alps last week.

The pair were on holiday in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc when they are thought to have slipped in icy conditions.