Two British skiers among three dead in French Alps

An avalanche killed three off-piste skiers, including two Britons, in the French Alps on Friday, prosecutors said a day after several ski resorts shut down due to the risk of snowslides.

The avalanche in Val d'Isere swept away six skiers, killing one French national and the two Britons, prosecutor Benoit Bachelet said.

Emergency services responded quickly but could not prevent the deaths, a resort official said, noting that all of the victims had avalanche transceivers.

There have now been at least 25 avalanche deaths in France this winter season, with the majority occurring since January.

The deaths followed a rare, day-long red alert across the southeastern Savoie region on Thursday -- a danger level issued only twice before since the system was introduced 25 years ago.

The warning prompted several resorts to close all or part of their pistes.

On Friday, the red alert was lifted Friday in Savoie but the risk level remained high across the Alps, with "very unstable snow cover" especially above 1,800 (5,900 feet) to 2,000 metres altitude, according to the Meteo France weather service.

Storm Nils, which passed through France on Thursday, dumped 60-100 centimetres of snow, according to the weather service.