2 dead in Russian avalanche

Two mountaineers have been killed and one injured in an avalanche in Russia's Far Eastern republic of Yakutia.

According to Aleksey Khlybov, Yakutia's Emergencies Ministry spokesperson, eight mountaineers were crossing a pass in Yakutia’s mountainous region when the avalanche struck.

The group called in rescuers and told them they had carried out a search themselves and found two of their friends dead and one injured under the snow.

They are waiting for a rescue service helicopter to evacuate them from the area.