Five of six missing skiers found dead in Switzerland: police

GENEVA -- The remains of five cross-country skiers who had gone missing over the weekend were discovered near the Tete Blanche mountain in the southern Swiss canton of Valais, local police said Monday.

Valais cantonal police chief Christian Varone said in a press briefing that the six skiers embarked on their journey in "relatively good" conditions on Saturday. However, the situation rapidly worsened later.

The authorities did not disclose the cause of death for the five skiers discovered late on Sunday, but they characterized the conditions as "catastrophic," citing snowstorms, strong winds, and extreme temperatures.

Varone emphasized that the priority was to find the sixth person. "As long as there is hope we will do all we can, but we have to be realistic about the conditions that person has lived through over the past 48 hours," the officer said.

The incident is one of the deadliest in the Swiss Alps in recent years. Over the weekend, an extensive search and rescue operation was conducted, involved 11 helicopters and a team of five people.