Avalanches kill seven in Alps

Two local tourists died in the Italian Alps, while four rescuers who were looking for them were hit by a subsequent avalanche and were also killed. The BBC reported the head of Italy's civil protection service, Guido Bertolaso, saying that rescuers were dying because people were ignoring warnings about conditions.

In a separate incident in the same region, a 14-year-old from Germany was hit by an avalanche while skiing with his brother and a friend. According to police, the boy was skiing off-piste.

The tourists who went missing on Saturday afternoon were reportedly experienced and careful skiers - but still required a seven strong rescue team.

According to the BBC, the avalanche alert warning was recently increased to level four on a scale of five due to recent heavy snowfall and a rise in temperatures - providing good conditions for the development of avalanches.