Three German skiers were found dead on Sunday and a fourth is missing after an avalanche struck an Austrian ski resort.
Three German skiers were found dead overnight after they were swept in an avalanche near the Austrian ski resort of Lech am Arlberg, according to police on Sunday.
A fourth person is also said to be missing.
The three men were found dead at 11pm on Saturday after one of the men's wives declared them missing.
They were aged 57, 36, and 32. Authorities tracked their mobile phones to find them near "Langer Zug," one of the world's steepest pistes.
The man who is still missing is 28 years old, according to a police statement.
The group had been using skies that allowed them to climb, ski down slopes and go off-piste,
The Austrian Alps have been hit by heavy snow in the last week, which has raised avalanche warnings.
Meanwhile, two employees at a French ski resort were killed on Sunday after the avalanche control charges they were trying to set accidentally went off, according to AFP news agency.
Local police said the employees were working with explosives, which are sometimes used in controlled explosions to alleviate larger avalanches.