3 dead, 1 injured after Zermatt avalanche

On Monday, Swiss police said that three people were killed and another one injured following an avalanche at the popular ski resort town of Zermatt.

 The victims were swept away earlier in the day amid avalanche warnings in the Southern Alps of Switzerland and Austria. Authorities launched a rescue operation and had discovered the bodies of the victims.

The Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (WLF) said earlier Monday that "very large and occasionally extremely large spontaneous avalanches are to be expected" in the southern Swiss Alps. According to the WLF figures, 14 people have died in a dozen avalanche accidents in Switzerland this winter.