Two Britons were among three skiers killed in an avalanche in the French Alps. The group of five, guided by an instructor, was off-piste skiing in Val d’Isère, south-east France. A French skier skiing alone also died. Albertville prosecutor Benoit Bachelet said the ski instructor avoided injury and tested negative for blood and drugs. Another British skier suffered minor injuries. The Albertville public prosecutor’s office opened a manslaughter investigation. CRS Alpes mountain rescue police are leading the inquiry. France’s national weather service had issued a red alert for avalanche risk in the area on Thursday. In neighboring Italy, avalanches have killed 11 people in seven days due to unstable snow. These include a 70-year-old hiker found dead last Sunday in the Veneto region, home to the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Italy’s rescue service reported avalanche risk across most of the Alpine range. Fresh snow on unstable layers means the movement of one skier can trigger deadly avalanches, the rescue service said to Reuters.