An avalanche near Mont Blanc in southeastern France swept four people to their deaths and left two more missing, the officials said.
Among the dead were two mountain guides caught by the snow tumbling down the Armancette glacier, the prefecture for the Haute-Savoie department said.
Investigators had been called in help with the search for the two persons still unaccounted for in the Alps.
One person also suffered slight injuries in the avalanche while eight others also swept up were unharmed, the prefecture said.