An avalanche buried a group of five skiers in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, killing three of them, the Associated Press reported, citing a rescue service statement.
Two survived and were airlifted to hospital.
The avalanche hit the eastern face of Punta Valgrande peak at noon today – on the border between Italy and Switzerland.
The deceased skiers were dragged by the snow masses for several hundred meters, suffering fatal injuries, rescuers said.
In another avalanche, two Estonian skiers died after being buried by the snow masses while skiing off-piste in Val d'Isere in the French Alps, the emergency services said.
They were part of a group of six Estonian skiers who were skiing in an off-piste area of the mountain and were not equipped with avalanche equipment.
Four men in their 30s were buried by the avalanche, one of them up to the waist. He managed to get out quickly, rescuers told AFP.
The first rescue teams to arrive managed to pull out the first of the three completely buried skiers in less than ten minutes. He was conscious and still breathing.
Avalanche-sniffing dogs also found the other two skiers. One of them more than 40 minutes after the avalanche, and the second after more than 50 minutes under the snow. They died at the scene, the emergency services said.
Rescue services have warned of a high risk of avalanches in the Alps, AFP notes.