Five climbers have been killed and thirteen injured after an avalanche swept down Mont Blanc. The climbers were ascending the mountain, which straddles the borders of France and Italy, when the avalanche hit around midday.
The climbers believed to be from France, Germany and Italy were struck by a wall of snow and ice as they negotiated the Tour Ronde ascent of the mountain, The injured were taken to hospital in the French town of Chamonix, and the Italian town of Aosta. Rescuers said that the avalanche could have been caused by unseasonably warm weather in the region which would have made the snow and ice particularly loose around midday.
