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Skier swept to death in Pyrenean avalanche

A Spanish skier died Saturday when an avalanche swept away a group and their guide skiing off-piste on a mountain in southwestern France, rescue services said.

A second Spaniard was rescued in a state of "total emergency", while two others and the guide managed to dig themselves out of the snow above Aragnouet in the Haute-Pyrenees.

About 20 gendarme rescuers were deployed along with dogs and two helicopters, the authorities said.

On Friday, four skiers were killed in the Mercantour National park in the French Alps, the deadliest avalanche of the winter so far.

Their guide was detained by police for potentially putting the group at risk.

France has seen heavy snowfalls since the start of the week, as a blast of icy weather from Siberia engulfed Europe before warmer weather swept in from the south from Thursday.

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More than 20 people have now died since France's ski season began in November.

On February 15 an avalanche in the Pyrenees mountains killed three skiers.

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