Verbier: British skier killed in avalanche in Swiss Alps

The death happened in the alpine resort of Verbier, in Switzerland

A British man has been killed in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps, police have said.

The man was among 10 people swept away at the alpine resort of Verbier, to the east of Geneva, on Monday morning.

Police said the skier, who has not been named, lived in Verbier and died at the scene.

One person was flown to hospital with serious injuries, while eight others were uninjured, local police said.

A police spokesman said: "The avalanche occurred outside the piste between the Verbier ski area and 'Les Attelas'.

"At around 10:20, a skier was driving down a corridor below the 'Attelas' area.

"A snow drift came loose and carried the skier as well as another person who had been further down at the time."

An investigation has been launched.

The Foreign Office said it was offering support to the British man's family and was in contact with the authorities in Switzerland.

The death comes after several days of heavy snowfall across Switzerland, which led to the death of another skier who was killed in an avalanche while skiing in Gstaad.

It takes the total deaths due to avalanches in the country to seven since last weekend.

More than 200 British skiers left the popular Verbier resort in December after Switzerland imposed a coronavirus quarantine following the discovery of a new variant of the virus.