At least four persons were killed in an avalanche in the French Alps, according to the country’s interior minister, Gerald Darmanin.
The incident occurred around lunchtime on Sunday local time at the Armancette glacier near Mount Blanc in south-eastern France.
The victims are believed to have been hikers.
Several people were hurt, according to Mr. Darmanin, and a search and rescue operation was underway.
The Haute-Savoie prefecture, the local authority in charge of the area, reported nine people injured.
French President Emmanuel Macron extended his condolences to the victims and their families.
Before the tragedy, the adjacent ski resort of Contamines-Montjoie shared a video on social media of a massive wall of snow falling from the Dômes de Miage, which includes the glacier.
The resort warned visitors to be cautious if they went off-piste, or away from the groomed ski runs.
An additional avalanche could not be ruled out, according to officials.
In 2014, two brothers were killed in an avalanche on the same glacier. They were both seasoned mountaineers who had come prepared.
