Avalanche kills four climbers in Scottish Highlands Climbers descend from Bidean Nam Bian in the Scottish Highlands after four people died when they were trapped by an avalanche. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA Four people were killed in an avalanche in the Scottish Highlands as snow and icy weather continued to bring widespread disruption to Britain. A party of six climbers, three men and three women, were caught in the snowfall on Bidean Nam Bian in Glencoe at around 2pm on Saturday. Police and mountain rescue teams launched a rescue operation after the alarm was raised by two climbers, who were not part of the group, after they discovered one of the casualties lying in the snow. Soon after, the emergency services were contacted by a male survivor of the climbing party who informed them that more people were missing. It is understood that the party were descending from a peak on the south side of the valley, when the slope they were on broke away. The climbers were close to Church Door Buttress when the snow slope broke away. Five of them were swept down the mountain and engulfed by ice and snow. One female climber was recovered alive, but has serious head injuries. Northern Constabulary said that four members of the group, two men and two women, had died. The male survivor, who had stayed on the mountain to help rescue workers search for the missing members of his party, is "safe and well," police said. Scotland's first minister, Alex Salmond, described the accident as an "appalling tragedy," adding: "Our immediate thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have been lost. To lose four people from a party of six is truly devastating. The Scottish government will provide any support that we can and I would like to thank the police and mountain rescue team for their efforts in these difficult circumstances. Salmond's deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, posted on Twitter: "Dreadful news from Glencoe. Thoughts with all those affected. It is understood that, after the slope the climbers were on broke away, five of them were swept down the mountain and engulfed by ice and snow. One man avoided being swept away and managed to alert the emergency services. John Grieve, leader of Glencoe mountain rescue team, which co-ordinated the search, said: "The first call to police was from two other people who had been on the mountain, they found someone lying next to where they were climbing. Grieve, who is in Spain and was not part of the search, said the buried climbers were located using a technique called "probing," where a metal stick is pushed into the snow. "I'm not sure how deeply buried they were, but using that technique would suggest it was more than a metre," he added. Police said they are making efforts to identify the climbers and inform their next of kin. Bidean Nam Bian is the highest mountain in the former county of Argyll with a height in excess of 3,000ft. It is known for its steep and rocky terrain and has a number of different climbs. David Gibson, chief officer and company secretary of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, said: "This was a significant tragedy. The thoughts of the council are with all of those involved and the rescue services up there doing the job they do. It is always difficult in these circumstances, but I think the advice we would give to people is to check the weather and avalanche forecasts before setting off, and to assess the risks. The Scottish Avalanche Information Service categorised the avalanche risk around Glencoe yesterday as "considerable" - the second lowest on a European four-point scale. Co-ordinator Mark Diggins said the weather conditions had been fairly dry with little snow over the past four days. "An avalanche can be triggered by a single person," he added. At the moment, it doesn't look like there's much snow, it is very localised. You're getting into areas that are 800 metres up because the wind packs the snow to make it hard. The Rev Moira Herkes said she will lead a prayer for those involved in the tragedy at St Munda's church, which serves the communities of Glencoe and Ballachulish, on Sunday. "They will not be forgotten, that's for sure," she said. This is the worst accident here for many years. It is very distressing, because people come here for pleasure and when something like this happens it hurts everyone involved. This is a very beautiful place, but at times it can be very dangerous.