France Avalanche Photos: Tignes Death Toll Could Rise As Ski Resort Searches For Victims Buried Under Snow

Authorities were scrambling Monday to help the victims of a deadly avalanche that killed at least four people have in Tignes, France, according to multiple reports.

The avalanche struck at about 2:30 a.m. EST. A group of nine skiers, eight tourists and one guide were swept away in the avalanche on a mountain near Tignes, a French Alpine resort, the Guardian reported. Initial reports suggested two people had been safely rescued, but those later appeared to be incorrect — as of about 8 a.m. EST, five skiers remained trapped in the snow. Rescuers were not optimistic about recovering any survivors, according to the Guardian.

"Five people are still buried under a huge mass of snow," an anonymous rescue official from the city of Albertville, France, told BBC News.

The deadly avalanche at the resort near the Italian border was seemingly triggered by a group of skiers higher up the mountain. As rescuers deployed helicopters and dogs to try to find the five unaccounted-for skiers, the incident was already being named the deadliest of the ski season. There have been three skiing-related deaths in the Alps and Pyrenees this winter. They followed some 45 accidents and 21 deaths last winter, according to BBC News.

Monday's avalanche was about 1,311 feet wide and occurred at an altitude of about 6,900 feet, according to the London Evening Standard. The number of dead was expected to rise, but the names and nationalities of the victims thus far were not yet released. The resort, popular among British tourists, is in its busy season.

Many schools in France, Britain and other European countries were on break this week, and resorts during this time of year are typically packed with kids. Emergency services told the Guardian several of the victims of the deadly avalanche were thought to be under the age of 20.