Six skiers have been killed and others are feared to be missing after an avalanche in the Italian Alps.

Three helicopters, specially trained dogs and more than 70 alpine rescuers and fire fighters are continuing to search for bodies.

The incident took place on Saturday morning on Mount Nevoso, or "Snowy Mountain", in South Tyrol near the Austrian border.

Four of the victims were Italian citizens, while two other bodies have yet to be identified, a fire department spokeswoman said.

It was not yet clear if other skiers had also been buried in the snowslip, authorities said.

An Austrian woman was also being treated for injuries in a nearby hospital.

A number of other skiiers caught in the snowslide were able to free themselves without injury.

The skiers were climbing to the mountain's summit and were planning to ski down. Exactly how the avalanche was caused is still unknown, the spokeswoman said.

There was a "marked" risk of avalanche of 3 in the area at the time, on a scale where 5 indicates a strong risk, Italian media reported.