Five climbers have been killed on France's Mont Blanc and a sixth climber is missing, an official said today.
The climbers disappeared overnight as they were trying to reach the Aiguille d’Argentiere, which tops out around 12,800ft (3,900m).
Mont Blanc, in addition to its primary peak, contains some 200 summits.
The bodies of five climbers were located today, while a sixth has not been found, said Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of Saint-Gervais, a town at the foot of Europe’s tallest mountain.
Search and rescue teams in helicopters are flying over the area.
August is the height of the climbing season on Europe’s tallest mountain, where even in the warmest months fierce snowstorms can strike quickly.
Several mountaineers have died already this summer, and local officials say they fear people are coming to Mont Blanc ill-prepared for the dangers.
Last month two Irish climbers, Colm Ennis (37) and Peter Britton (55) were killed when they fell in the Giant’s Tooth section of the Mont Blanc range .It is understood the friends fell around 200 metres in the Dent du Geant area of the French Alps after their rope broke loose.
PA