A least three people were killed and five others were injured, some seriously, after a snowslide in the Val Veny valley near the upscale ski resort of Courmayeur in the Italian Alps, rescuers said.
"Two #avalanches in Valle Aosta: the death toll in Val Veny reaches three. Two skiiers are still missing in Colle San Carlo. Work continues," Alpine search and rescue services tweeted.
Two helicopters, two doctors and a team of sniffer dogs were despatched to the scene, search and rescue services said.
The avalanche hit some 20 people, who were believed to be foreigners, just before 1 pm local time. It was not immediately clear if some or all of the victims were skiing off-piste at the time.
A second avalanche struck Val d'Aosta at the Colle San Carlo Pass soon afterwards, engulfing two skiiers.
