At least 6 dead in French Alps avalanche

The victims were skiers, including two guides, who were at the Armancette glacier in the middle of the day.

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(UPI) -- An avalanche in the French Alps has left at least six people dead Sunday, according to officials.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted Sunday that the avalanche occurred midday local time at the Armancette glacier near Mont Blanc.

The victims were skiers and included two guides, according to the BBC. A couple in their 20s, a 39-year-old woman and a man in his early 40s were among those who died.

Initially, officials confirmed four fatalities but that death toll rose as rescuers worked to find those caught in the avalanche.

"An avalanche occurred in the middle of the day at the Armancette glacier in the Alps. The provisional report shows 4 people dead and several injured. Rescuers are still at work," Darmanin tweeted Sunday. "Thank you for their action. Thoughts for the victims and their loved ones."

The avalanche was caused when a slab of snow detached from the top of the mountain, according to Jean-Luc Mattel, an official of the nearby Contamines-Montjoie village, BBC reported.

Xavier Roseren, a member of parliament who manages the nearby Les Contamines-Montjoie ski resort, said in a post on Facebook that several agencies were involved in the rescue mission, including the Mont Blanc High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon, civil security helicopter teams and first responders.

People have been urged to stay on the designated ski runs if venturing out as there is still potential for another avalanche.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his sympathy Sunday.

"At the Armancette glacier in the Alps, an avalanche caused casualties. We are thinking of them and their families," Macron tweeted. "To find people still stuck in the snow, our rescue forces are mobilized. Our thoughts accompany them, too."

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