Five skiers have been found dead on a glacier above a popular Swiss winter sports resort, authorities have confirmed. 

A helicopter was sent to survey the area around Rimpfischhorn, a 4,000-meter peak in the Valais Alps near the town of Zermatt on Sunday, after two hikers reported seeing abandoned skis. 

Valais cantonal police have revealed the victims were located on the Adler Glacier at varying altitudes on avalanche debris.

Air rescue service Air Zermatt said three bodies were located together in one area with rescue teams discovering the other two victims on a higher, narrower patch of snow the BBC reported.  

Formal identification of the victims is ongoing and their nationalities have yet to be released. 

The Rimpfischhorn is a 4,199-metre (13,776-foot) mountain that lies east of Zermatt, near the Italian border, and is popular with backcountry skiers.

A premium resort, the climb to the summit is best suited to experienced skiers and takes five hours.  

In a separate incidence, a 29-year-old alpinist was killed in an avalanche further north on the Morgenhorn in the Bern canton, police confirmed.

Two other climbers caught in the avalanche were rescued and taken to hospital where they were treated for light injuries.

During the current winter season, between October 1, 2024 and May 17, 2025, 15 people have been killed in avalanches in the country, according to the Institute for the Study of Snow and Avalanches.

In March 2024, six backcountry skiers died – five of them members of the same family – after being caught in a violent storm in the peaks near Zermatt.