At least four people have died after an avalanche buried skiers in the French Alps.

According to CNN, nine people are said to be buried in snow at the ski resort of Tignes.

Local news station, BMFTV, have reported that a mountain guide and eight to nine skiers were swept away when the snow fell in an off-piste part of the resort.

The avalance was 400 metres wide, and there is "little hope" of finding people alive, the French National Police's general reserve said.

There are at least five people still missing, and two medical helicopters are on stand-by for those who remain in the snow.

More to follow…

Five schoolchildren are reportedly still missing after being swept away by an avalanche in the French Alps at around 4pm local time today.

The children were part of a group of around 10 students from Lyon who were skiiing in the Les Deux Alpes region with their teacher.

Four children are believed to have been found seriously injured, with some in a state of cardiac arrest according to local police. Their teacher was also found unconscious by a ski patrol.

Rescue dogs enroute to help with the #avalanche victims. 3 people suspected to be buried. We saw 1 recovered. pic.twitter.com/dPGJ4Cbrxd

— Tim Rhodes (@Timbeeb) January 13, 2016

All of those found were taken to hospital in nearby Grenoble.

According to the BBC, witnesses have reported that the avalanche seemed to have been triggered by a group skiing through the area.

Rescue helicopters and rescue personnel with dogs are still at the scene.

The Bellecombes piste is graded as a black slope, which is the steepest and most difficult rating.