[IMAGECAPTION] PHOTO: An avalanche buried a group of skiers and a guide near Tignes ski resort. (Photo via Flickr/Nicolas Vigier) [/IMAGECAPTION]
Multiple people have died in an avalanche at a popular ski resort in the French Alps.
The BBC reported at least four French nationals were killed Monday when a massive wall of snow buried a group of eight skiers and a guide near the Tignes ski resort in southeastern France.
Rescuers are in the process of searching for and extracting the remaining five victims from the snow. Multiple helicopters and search dogs were deployed to the scene, which was visible from some of the resort's busiest ski runs, according to the Telegraph.
The avalanche, which is believed to have been caused by a group of skiers higher up on the slope, stretched approximately 1,300 feet wide and occurred at an elevation of 6,900 feet.
The Telegraph reported the resort is currently in the midst of one of the busiest weeks of the season, with thousands of British tourists visiting on their half-term holidays.
Monday's tragic incident is the worst in France since the ski season began. According to the BBC, there had been just over a dozen previous skiing accidents in the Alps and Pyrenees this winter, killing a total of three people.
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