HORROR IN THE ALPS
French Alps avalanche kills dad and daughter, 11, in Val d’Isere as two others injured in Swiss Alps avalanche
A police spokesman in Valais said a search is underway
A DAD and his 11-year-old daughter have died after being swept away in an avalanche in the French Alps.
The pair, both from Paris, died after being swept away in the Val d'Isere area, BFMTV reported.
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Two hikers were also injured after being caught up in a different an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.
The avalanche struck the region of Valais, pictured, which borders France and Italy.
Valais police initially said ten people were missing but later revised the number down to just two.
Only last month, more than 100 tourists and locals were evacuated by helicopter after an avalanche struck near a hotel in northern Italy.
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Four choppers were needed to rescue tourists and hotel workers from the four-star mountainside hotel and a nearby guesthouse.
The rescue mission came as heavy snow caused disruption across the Alps.
The hotel, near the Austrian border at 1,870 metres, was not directly hit but was in an area of "extremely high risk" for further avalanches.
Katia Squeo of the civil protection agency said: "The electricity was restored and the guests didn't want to go, so the mayor ordered the evacuation. The avalanche risk is still present."
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Each helicopter ferried seven people at a time to a school gymnasium in nearby San Valentino, where they were being fed and looked after.
A nearby guesthouse was also evacuated, and a nearby whole village was cut off from the nearest major road.
The whole northern crest of the Alps bordering Austria was under the highest avalanche risk following an extraordinary snowfall of up to two metres (6.6 feet).
The snowfall beat record levels dating back to the early 1980s.
The hotel boasts views of a 3,700-metre summit and advertises itself as being ideal for skiers, who can start their runs right outside the hotel door.
The town itself was protected by avalanche barriers and they were at no immediate risk.
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