At least four dead in the Armancet glacier in Haute-Savoie

France’s interior minister said an avalanche in the French Alps killed four people on Sunday, describing the death toll as a provisional number.

Avalanches hit the Armancette glacier in Les Contamines-Montjoie, Haute-Savoie, about 30 km southwest of Chamonix on Sunday, local time.

Home Secretary Gerald Darmanin did not provide any details in his tweet about the deaths.

According to reports, a local deputy sheriff confirmed that two of the dead were local mountain guides. Many of the injured were taken to hospital, and two people are still missing.

France 3 reports that the four victims were hiking on a crowded ski slope and included two guides, aged 49 and 39, and a man and woman in their 20s.

The deaths made it one of the deadliest avalanches in recent years.

Local MP Xavier Roserin confirmed in a social media post that two of the dead were local guides from Val Montjoy.

More than 20 rescuers were on site with the help of two helicopters and dog trainers.

Local radio station France-Bleu determined the size of the avalanche as 1 kilometer long and 500 meters wide.

Two brothers died in an avalanche on the same glacier in 2014. They were both experienced mountaineers and had been properly equipped.