Two Cambridge men have died in a skiing tragedy in the French Alps.
The men, both aged 26, were on holiday in the French resort of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.
The were skiing off-piste and fell "several hundred metres", according to local police.
A third member of the group was unharmed in the accident, and raised the alarm at 11.40am on Sunday.
The men were on holiday with a tour operator in the resort, reports the Daily Mirror.
They were skiing Le Couloir Du Chapeau, a steep section of the famous Grands Montets ski area at an altitude of 1700 metres, and the weather was clear and sunny.
According to police, there was evidence that other skiers had skied the slope in previous days.
The two men fell independently of each other as they skied the 40-degree slope and died instantly.
Most Read
The bodies of the two skiers were retrieved from the mountain by helicopter.
Police have opened an investigation into the tragedy and are questioning the third member of the group, aged in his 20s.
A local police spokesman said: "Three British men were skiing Le Couloir Du Chapeau. It is a steep off-piste area. The snow at the moment is very hard, it is not powder skiing.
"The conditions in the couloir are not good.
"The two men fell one after the other. They fell independently but within a couple of minutes of each other.
"They fell several hundred metres.
"For sure these men were good skiers but the conditions are not good. An investigation has been opened into the accident."
Don’t miss
The area is popular with off-piste skiers and is easily accessible from the lifts of Grands Montets.
Conditions are particularly unfavourable at the moment and mountain experts are warning skiers to exercise the utmost caution if considering venturing off-piste.
Chamonix is a French resort on the border of Italy and Switzerland. Sitting at the foot of Mont Blanc, it is one of the most famous ski areas in the world.
Grands Montets is a mecca for advanced snowsport enthusiasts, offering the valley’s most advanced terrain.