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Disaster on 'cursed mountain': Five Britons missing after deadly avalanche in French Alps leaves nine dead

• Alarm raised by injured climber at 5.30am local time
• Climbers hit by avalanche on Mont Maudit, on way to Mont Blanc
• Victims were among group of 28 climbers, who were mostly roped together
• Nine dead reported to include two German, two Swiss and two Spanish climbers

By CHRIS PARSONS and PETER ALLEN

PUBLISHED: 08:06 GMT, 12 July 2012 | UPDATED: 10:42 GMT, 12 July 2012

Five British climbers are feared to be among the victims of an avalanche which killed nine in the French Alps this morning.

The massive slide of snow happened around 5am this morning as early morning climbers made their way up Mount Maudit, which is in the Mont Blanc range.

Most of them were roped together on what is considered to be one of the most dangerous ascents in Europe.

Perilous: The Mont Blanc route, with Mont Maudit to the right, is one particularly popular with tourist climbers (file picture)

Rescue: A helicopter from the Securite Civile (emergency services) flies over the Mont Blanc massif as investigators look for those stranded in the avalanche

Rescuers from the Alpine PGHM (mountain rescue service) said the initial estimated death toll was 'at least six'.

'There are around eight others injured and at least two people missing,' added a spokesman, who said that the avalanche had been caused by snow collapsing in July heat. 

'We were initially alerted just after dawn by one of the survivors who called us on a mobile phone.'

All of the injured have been evacuated by helicopter to nearby hospitals, as police supported by search dogs continued to look for survivors.

There were reported to have been 28 people in the moutaineering group, from several countries including Switzerland, Serbia, Germany, Spain and France.

Five of the group are now safe back down in the valley, including a guide, but others in the party are still missing.

It was reported that at a press briefing following the avalanche, claims were made that a lone mountaineer may have set off the avalanche above the group.

The six dead have been confirmed as two Germans, two Swiss, and two Spanish mountaineers, according to Chamonet.com.

Saved: Emergency crews arrive back in Chamonix with a survivor from the avalanche

The six dead in the avalanche were said to have been in a group of 20 climbers when they were caught in the snow slide

At 4345m, Mont Maudit is one of a range of peaks also including Mont Blanc du Tacul which are hugely popular with climbers in the summer.

The first ever ascent of Mont Maudit was by a British party in 1878. Because of its steep slopes and abundance of thick ice it is often likened to a glass tower block.

Despite being popular as a tourist destination with thousands of Britons in both the winter and summer, the Mont Blanc range is one of the most lethal in the world.

It has killed more climbers than any other mountain range, with the annual death toll regularly reaching beyond the 100 mark.

Recovery: Five Britons are said to be among those still missing from the group of 28 climbers, as helicopters rushed to the scene

Many lose their lives as they attempt to scale its peaks with insufficient training or supplies. 

There were no avalanche warnings before the 'deadliest snow slide in recent years', said Eric Fournier, the Mayor of Chamonix.

Mr Fournier said: 'There were no weather reports forecasting an avalanche risk.'

Instead huge walls of snow are believed to have been created by high winds overnight, creating so-called 'Wind Slabs' which are hugely dangerous when they collapse.

Today's avalanche is thought to have happened at dawn, as the heavily impacted snow began to warm up and then cascade downwards.

In August 2008 eight climbers - three Swiss, one German, and four Austrian - died in a similar accident on the nearby Mont Blanc du Tacul.