World

Authorities say an avalanche in the French Alps has left six climbers dead and six injured, and rescuers are searching for others unaccounted for.

The gendarme service in Chamonix says they were alerted around 5:25 a.m. (0325GMT) Thursday to the avalanche on Mont Maudit, part of the Mont Blanc range.

Several dozen gendarmes and other rescuers and two helicopters worked to pull the six dead and six injured from the mountain. The injured climbers were hospitalized, the gendarme service said.

About 28 climbers from several countries are believed to have taken part in the climbing expedition.