Six climbers have been killed in two separate incidents of icefall collapse on the same day in France and Italy, according to mainstream news reports.

Atypically warm conditions for this time of year have been cited by rescue authorities as the cause of the ice melting and subsequently detaching from the rock.

One of the accidents took place in Gressony-Saint-Jean, in the Val d'Aosta region of Italy, where four climbers died. A fifth climber in the party escaped harm, having been above the point of detachment when the incident unfolded.

Less than two hours later in La Grave, in the Haute-Alpes region of France, two more climbers were killed when a sheet of ice collapsed and fell onto them, according to the Briançon mountain rescue team.

Climbers have been urged to take caution in the area.

Source: Evening Standard