Two had chosen not to make the final ascent, while the other two had taken a different route. Three people from Germany, three from Britain, two from Spain and one from Switzerland were killed, Haute-Savoie police said, but the nationalities of the missing are unknown. On Thursday morning the avalanche, described as a huge slab of ice and snow, swept nine climbers to their deaths, and injured several others. Two groups of climbers were caught in the avalanche on the north side of Mont Maudit in the Mont Blanc range, near Chamonix on the French-Italian border, police said. A total of 28 climbers in the two groups were connected by ropes, said authorities in Annecy, France. Mont Maudit Third-highest peak in the Mont Blanc massif range at 4,465m 
 
 Translates from French as cursed mountain 
 
 Popular route for tourists heading to Mont Blanc 
 
 First ascent of Mont Maudit completed in 1878 
 
 Southern side is steeper than the gentle northern snow slopes How avalanches happen In pictures: Chamonix avalanche 
 
 "These can easily be set off by a passing climber, causing an avalanche," he said. Local authorities deployed rescue teams in helicopters and said it was the deadliest avalanche in recent memory. Visiting the area, Interior Minister Manuel Valls described the incident as "catastrophic" and said a full investigation was under way. Chamonix official Jean-Louis Verdier, who is responsible for mountain security, said there had been no clue Thursday morning that such a deadly avalanche might be unleashed. Mont Maudit, about 1,000 feet lower and the third-highest peak in the range, seems to have lived up to its name, which can be translated as "hateful" or "cursed."
– Two people caught in today's avalanche in the French Alps have been found alive in the snow, CNN reports, and four others who had been deemed missing have been located, and are unscathed. Rescuers had broken off the search for the four because of weather conditions, but they eventually discovered that two had turned back early and the other two had taken a different route, according to the BBC. The total confirmed dead remains at nine. Twelve others were injured in the incident, though some so mildly that they've already left the hospital. The mayor of Charmonix said that the avalanche was a random occurrence. "We had no more reason than usual to be alarmed." Veteran mountain guides say the area is highly avalanche-prone, with slabs of snow that "can easily be set off by a passing climber."