3 skiers killed in avalanche in southeast France

Three skiers were killed on Friday after being caught in an avalanche in Val-d'Isere in France's Savoie department, reported Xinhua, quoting local media.

The avalanche swept away six skiers in total, four of whom were accompanied by a professional guide, French daily Le Monde reported, citing a statement released by the resort.

Despite the rapid intervention of rescue services, three victims have died, it said, adding that they were all equipped with avalanche transceivers.

Meteo-France, the national weather service, had placed the Savoie department under red alert for avalanche risk on Thursday.

Val-d'Isere is a ski resort in Savoie, renowned as a winter sports destination. It has reported several avalanche deaths recently.