Five cross-country skiers have been found dead after going missing over the weekend near the Matterhorn mountain, Swiss police said.

Rescue authorities had announced a search in difficult weather conditions for six skiers on Sunday.

The group had set off on Saturday on a route between the resort town of Zermatt, at the foot of the Matterhorn, and the village of Arolla, near the border with Italy.

A crew of three rescuers and a mountain police team found the bodies of five of the skiers near the Dent Blanche cabin.

The search is continuing for the sixth person.

The nationalities or other identity details of the victims were not immediately indicated.