Five of six missing skiers found dead in Switzerland, police say

A search is still on for the sixth skier, police say

Tourists take a picture in front of the Matterhorn mountain at the Gornergrat in Zermatt, Switzerland Jun 2, 2019. REUTERS

Five cross-country skiers who went missing during a ski tour in Switzerland were found dead, while a search was still on for the sixth skier, police said in a statement on Monday.

The skiers, five of them members of the same family, went missing around Tete Blanche mountain on Saturday on the Zermatt-Arolla path, near the Matterhorn mountain that straddles the border between Switzerland and Italy.

The bodies were discovered on Sunday in Tête Blanche sector, police said.

The skiers were between the ages of 21 and 58, according to an earlier police statement. Five belonged to one family from the Valais canton, while a sixth person is from the canton of Fribourg.

Police did not reveal the identity of those who were found dead.

Zermatt is a popular mountain resort renowned for skiing and attracts tourists from around the world.