A series of avalanches in the French Alps has resulted in the deaths of several skiers, including British nationals, highlighting the perilous conditions in the region. On Tuesday, a British man in his 30s and a Polish citizen were among those killed in an avalanche near La Grave, a popular skiing destination. The group of five, skiing off-piste, was caught in the avalanche, while a German and an Australian skier managed to escape unscathed.

In a separate incident, an avalanche in the Valloire area claimed another life and left two hikers critically injured. The French weather service had issued a high avalanche risk warning for La Grave and a maximum risk alert for Valloire, underscoring the dangerous conditions due to fresh snow and strong winds.

The recent tragedies add to a grim tally of 28 avalanche-related deaths in the French Alps this winter season. Among the victims were Stuart Leslie, 46, and Shaun Overy, 51, who died in an avalanche in Val d’Isère last Friday. The pair, part of a group skiing off-piste, were swept away despite the presence of an instructor. A French national also perished in the same incident.

The avalanche risk had been marked with a rare red alert by France's national weather service, a warning issued only three times in the past 25 years. Benoît Bachelet, the Albertville prosecutor, confirmed that a manslaughter investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths in Val d’Isère.

These incidents follow a series of fatal avalanches across the Alps, including six deaths in one weekend in January and 13 fatalities in the Italian mountains in early February. The Foreign Office has expressed readiness to provide consular assistance to those affected.