Climbing trio die in Alps plunge

Three climbers fell to their deaths today while scaling the Alps in south-east France.

The trio were attached to each other by a rope as they ascended a peak. One of them lost his footing, slid down the side of the mountain and plunged off a cliff, dragging his companions to their deaths, police said.

Other hikers who witnessed the accident immediately alerted authorities, but the climbers were found dead once rescuers got to the scene.

Their identities or nationalities were not immediately available