Skiers caught up in an avalanche that struck a resort in the French Alps on Tuesday are all safe, and rescuers ended a large search and rescue operation without finding any victims.
An official with the regional administration, or prefecture, said a couple of hours after the avalanche at the Tignes resort that the operation was called off. The resort's press service confirmed there were no casualties.
The avalanche struck at 9:50 a.m. (3:50 a.m. EST) on the La Carline ski slope, prompting the resort to shut down. French media earlier reported that several skiers were caught in the avalanche.
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"Several skiers were knocked around and taken care of by resort employees," the resort's press service later said in a statement. "No casualties were reported."
According to the statement, the avalanche started on the Grande Balme off-piste section, and then swept across La Carline slope.
TV footage of the resort showed bad weather conditions and poor visibility on the slopes. Weather services had warned Monday of a high avalanche risk in mountain ranges because of recent snowfall and strong winds. The risk in Tignes is currently four on a scale of five, but the resort said parts of the ski area would remain open.
Four snowboarders died last month in another avalanche near the same resort. On Jan. 18, a devastating avalanche buried a hotel in central Italy, killing 29 people.
