STORY: The cross-country skiers, five of them members of the same family from Valais canton, went missing near the Tête Blanche mountain on Saturday on the Zermatt-Arolla path.

Authorities have not given the cause of death for the five found late on Sunday (March 10) but described “catastrophic” conditions with avalanches, snow storms and extreme temperatures.

The incident is one of the most deadly in the Swiss Alps in recent years.

Eleven helicopters were part of a search and rescue operation over the weekend as well as a five-person team that left Zermatt on foot to reach the area near the Matterhorn, which straddles the border between Switzerland and Italy, after one of the skiers raised the alarm.

But the search party had to turn back late on Saturday (March 9) within 500 metres (yards) of the missing group’s last reported altitude due to storms and heavy snowfall.

Police said the group of skiers included people between the ages of 21 and 58 but did not say which had died. A formal investigation is underway.