British skier killed in French Alps cliff fall

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View down to Alpe d'HuezImage source, Getty Images

A British skier has fallen to his death in the French Alps, authorities have confirmed.

The man - part of a trio who went off-piste in the Alpe d'Huez ski resort - fell from what a mountain rescue spokesperson described as a cliff.

A second skier who fell was injured in the "steep and icy" conditions, but survived. The third was unharmed and both men were rescued.

The Foreign Office said it was giving support to the dead man's family.

In a statement confirming the death, it added: "We remain in close contact with local authorities. Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time."

Francois Bepol, a spokesperson at the gendarme mountain rescue unit in Grenoble, said the trio got into difficulty after going the wrong way and taking off their skis in an attempt to climb upwards.

The accident follows the death of 12-year-old French boy who also died after falling from a cliff in the French Alps on Saturday, while his 10-year-old brother survived.

The siblings, who were on a skiing holiday near the Avoriaz ski resort, went down a mountain and strayed off-piste for an unknown reason.