Deadly avalanche hits school group in French Alps

PARIS -- An avalanche in the French Alps struck a high school ski group Wednesday afternoon, killing at least three people, according to French officials.

France's National Gendarmerie said a search-and-rescue operation was launched in the Deux Alpes ski resort using sniffer dogs and a helicopter. CBS News' Elaine Cobbe reports that the helicopter is equipped with a thermal imaging camera.

French authorities in the Alps region confirmed that two high school students and a Ukrainian skier died in the accident, which took place on a ski trail that had been closed amid avalanche warnings.

Officials say the avalanche hit 10 students and a teacher from the Saint Exupery school in Lyon. Cobbe reports that the French interior ministry says the school group consisted of 19 pupils and three accompanying adults.

A telephone hotline has been opened in Lyon for relatives of those affected by the tragedy.

French President Francois Hollande has sent his condolences to those close to the victims. Hollande said in a statement Wednesday evening that the French education minister is on her way to Lyon, the home city of the affected high schoolers.

He is expected to arrive in the coming hours to "support the school community and the families." He said that mountain emergency services are still engaged in a rescue operation, and confirmed that three people have died so far and others are seriously injured.

Local officials did not give any information on the number of missing but said 60 workers had been mobilized in the search-and-rescue operation.

Commander Bertrand Host said there had been warnings of a high risk of avalanches ahead of the slide. He spoke to BFM television from the avalanche site.

The regional Dauphine Libere newspaper reported that four of the students were found in cardiac arrest but their teacher was conscious.

The prefect of the Isere region has told BFM that the ski trail was so risky it had been closed since the "beginning of the (ski) season" in December.

Jean-Paul Bonnetain said Wednesday evening that the group leader "had taken the initiative" to lead the school group onto this piste. He said that the trail "was really of a technical level" that is not suitable for beginners or high schoolers aged between 16 and 17.

In September, an avalanche in the French Alps swept seven climbers to their deaths on one of the region's most popular routes.