Mont Blanc search abandoned

One skier was winched to safety by helicopter

Rescuers have abandoned the search for three skiers buried by an avalanche on Mont Blanc because of the risk of new falls of snow and ice.

A group of five - four Austrians and a member of the French Foreign Legion - were hit by the avalanche at a height of 4,000 metres (13,200 feet) early on Saturday.

One injured Austrian was winched to safety by a helicopter after a Swiss guide raised the alarm about 0830 (0630 GMT).

Another was found dead on Sunday, according to the French news agency, AFP.

The rescue team was cutting through 10 metres (35 feet) of ice with a portable pneumatic hammer, having located the signal from emergency transmitters the skiers were carrying.

It was not known whether they were still alive.

Long delay

Police quoted by AFP said it would now be several weeks before the snow and ice would have melted sufficiently to allow another operation to recover the bodies from western Europe's highest mountain.

On Saturday, police in the nearby town of Chamonix said the extent of the avalanche made the chances of finding survivors small.

It was the result of a shift of huge blocks of ice and snow, known as seracs, among the crevasses of a glacier.

Some pieces were said to be as large as swimming pools.

The search had to be called off on Saturday because of heavy snow and poor visibility, but resumed on Sunday in better conditions.

The avalanche occurred near a mountain refuge known as the Grands Mulets, on the French side of the mountain.

The nationality of the Foreign Legion soldier is not known.