The avalanche in Val Ridanna in South Tyrol was reported at noon on Saturday. Ten people are reported to have been swept away by the snow, of whom at least two have died.
Seven people were injured, three of them seriously, Rai News reports. One of the injured has been flown by helicopter to Innsbruck in Austria.
However, not all victims have been dug out of the snow, and a major rescue operation is underway at the site near the border with Austria, with both Italian and Austrian personnel.
