![Click to enlarge Piedmont Alpine and Speleological Rescue responds to avalanche in Italy's Piedmont region. Two skiiers were rescued, three found dead.](/image/s36/721428/super/alpine_rescue_1_13.jpg)
Piedmont Alpine and Speleological Rescue said they responded to calls of an avalanche involving five mountaineers just after noon local time.
The avalanche happened on the peak of Punta Valgrande, a popular mountain in the Swiss Alps among experienced hikers and skiers, near the border of Italy and Switzerland.
Rescuers said the victims were dragged several hundred feet by the snow.
Medical teams arrived by helicopter and were able to rescue two skiers, but three others were found dead on the scene.
Meanwhile, in Adamello in the nearby Italian Alps, search operations for a missing climber were temporarily suspended due to worsening weather conditions, according to a report from Reuters.
Comment: Update January 14
The same source reports: