Avalanche kills 3 near Swiss resort

An American teenager and two other people have died

One person was airlifted to hospital

An American teenager and two other people have been killed in an avalanche near the Swiss resort of Zermatt, police said Tuesday.

The avalanche occurred at around 11:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday near the Klein Matterhorn ski area, which is located about 100 kilometers south of Bern. The victims were part of a group of five people who were skiing off-piste when they were caught in the avalanche.

One of the victims was a 15-year-old boy from the United States. The other two victims were a 24-year-old man from Switzerland and a 33-year-old woman from the Netherlands.

A fourth person was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries. The fifth person was uninjured.

The avalanche occurred on a steep slope at an altitude of about 2,800 meters. The avalanche was about 200 meters wide and 500 meters long.

Police are investigating the cause of the avalanche.