Avalanche kills three skiers in northern Italy
An avalanche hit a group of five skiers in Italy's northern Piedmont region overnight, killing three of them, rescuers said.
Two survived and were transported to the hospital by helicopter.
The avalanche hit around midday Sunday local time (about 10pm Sunday AEDT) on the eastern face of Punta Valgrande, a summit on the border between Italy and Switzerland.
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Three skiers have died in an avalanche on the Punta Valgrande, in northern Italy. Federica Grassi/Getty
The skiers who died were dragged downhill for several hundred metres, suffering fatal injuries.
An alert had been issued in the area above 2100 metres, warning of "considerable danger of avalanches".
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