GENEVA — The bodies of five skiers have been found by rescuers near Switzerland's luxury Zermatt resort.

They were recovered a day after emergency services were alerted by a group of climbers ascending the Rimpfischhorn — a 4,199-metre peak in the Valais Alps — to several pairs of skis left unattended near the summit.

Aerial and ground searches led to the discovery of the bodies below the summit on the Adler Glacier, Valais local police said in a statement on Sunday.

The victims were found at varying altitudes on avalanche debris in high altitude areas near the Swiss-Italian border.

Three bodies were located in one area and two more were discovered higher up on a narrow patch of snow, rescue service Air Zermatt said.

A fifth pair of skis was later found during the search, confirming that the group had traveled as a party of five. Their identities have not yet been formally released.

The public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the circumstances of the accident.

Zermatt is one of Switzerland's more premium Alpine resorts, visited by affluent British and other European skiers. But the climb to Rimpfischhorn is considered a more advanced expedition, around five hours from the resort.

There are a number of approaches to the climb, all of them requiring an overnight in a high hut. From Zermatt the usual way is to take lifts to Blauherd at 2570 meters.

In a separate incident on Friday night, Air Zermatt was also involved in a challenging mountain rescue on the Fiescherhörner, where four alpinists were stranded amid fog and high winds.

The initial evacuation attempt had to be aborted due to the weather, but a second attempt just after midnight brought all four to safety. — BBC