2 killed, 2 injured, 1 missing in French Alps avalanches

PARIS – Authorities say two people have died, two others have been seriously injured and one is missing after a series of avalanches in the French Alps.

The gendarmes in France’s eastern region of Haute-Savoie said three avalanches occurred over a two-hour period Sunday in the Vallorcine sector and a fourth took place earlier in the nearby Samoens area, near the Swiss border.

In Vallorcine, the local prefecture says one of the avalanches swept away a group of three Belgian skiers and a guide. One of the skiers died and another suffered a serious back injury. The third skier and the guide were unharmed.

Authorities have warned about a high risk of avalanches in the French Alps, where four other skiers were killed on Friday.