Three skiers die in French avalanche

Three skiers have died after being swept away by an avalanche in the French Pyrenees.

Officials in the southern Hautes-pyrenees region said the bodies of the three men were found yesterday, a day after an avalanche struck on an off-piste sector at the Cauterets ski resort near the Spanish border.

Rescuers, assisted by a helicopter and several dog teams, began their search on Wednesday afternoon shortly after the three men were reported missing.

The skiers, a 29-year-old and two 38-year-olds, were tourists from the French cities of Bordeaux and Poitiers.