Eight Trapped Under an Avalanche of Snow in the Alps Not Expected to Survive Say Rescuers

Rescue teams and France's interior minister say there is little hope of saving several climbers swept away by an avalanche in the Mont Blanc range.

At least eight people are thought to be trapped under the snow. They were among a party of climbers hit by a wall of snow 200m (600ft) long and 50m wide.

Eight survived the snowslide and were taken to a hospital in Chamonix.

The search for survivors, involving helicopters and rescuers with dogs, has been hindered by new avalanche threats.

Officials said the eight missing on the Mont-Blanc du Tacul mountain included five Austrians and two Swiss climbers.

Originally there were reported to be 10 people missing, but police later revised that figure to eight, the AFP news agency reported.

However France's Interior Minister, Michele Alliot-Marie, said it was impossible to know for certain how many were missing.

The minister, who flew into the area on Sunday evening, said that by then there was "no longer any chance of finding someone alive".

That echoed the opinion of a search official interviewed on LCI television, who said there was "no hope" of recovering anyone alive.

After a day in which 40 searchers, with specially trained dogs, and three helicopters failed to find any trace of the missing adventurers, the search was called off. Officials said conditions and the threat of fresh avalanches made it too dangerous to continue.