British skier swept to his death in front of his brother after they are hit by an avalanche while skiing off piste in the Swiss Alps 

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A British man was killed in an avalanche while he was skiing off piste with his older brother who was powerless to help, say police.

The brothers, aged 30 and 31, were descending down the slope of Mount Velan, situated in the canton of Valais in Switzerland, when the younger was caught in a deadly avalanche.

He was swept away and buried under the snow at around 3,600 metres, as his brother watched helplessly.

A British man is the latest person to have been killed by an avalanche on the Swiss Alps this winter, like the one pictured. The man, who has not yet been named, was skiing off piste with his brother when he was trapped under snow and killed

Three helicopers were scrambled to the rescue on Saturday at 12.20pm, but the 30-year-old, who lived in Switzerland, died on the mountain.

The tragic accident happened as the men - who were both strong skiers and well equipped for the expedition - were travelling down the so-called Hannibal Corridor.

The victim's brother was unharmed but could see the avalanche sweep his brother away 'clearly', according to a spokesman for the Valais police force. 

The avalanche risk on Saturday was classed as 'limited', or a two out of a possible five on the European avalanche risk table.

In Switzerland most avalanche deaths occur at levels two and three.

The police spokesman said: 'The men were well-equipped and they were good skiers. They were alone, just the two brothers aged 30 and 31 together.

A mountain climber reaches the summit of Mount Telliers, with Grad Combin and Mount Velan - the site of the latest death on the Swiss Alps - in the background

'An avalanche was triggered in the Mont Vélan sector at a place called the Hannibal Corridor.

'The younger brother was swept away. His brother was not taken {by the avalanche}. He saw it clearly.

'Despite the rapid rescue effort, the younger skier died at the scene.

'He was 30 and lived in Switzerland in Canton Vaud.

'Both the men were equipped with avalanche transceivers.

'Three helicopters, a doctor and two guides were involved in the rescue.'

The transceivers worn by the men emit a beacon signal, which allows rescuers to search for the exact location of an avalanche victim - even when buried under several feet of snow.

The Foreign Office has not released the name of the victim, but a spokesman confirmed they were aware a British citizen had been killed on the slopes.

He said: 'We can confirm the death of a British national on March 28 in Switzerland. 

'We stand ready to provide consular assistance.'

The death of the 30-year-old brings the total number of people killed in avalanches in the Swiss Alps this winter to 28, making it the deadliest winter since the 2010/11 season.

Across the Alps more than 100 people have perished in avalanches, and four people have been killed in Alpine avalanches since Friday.

The tragic incident took place in the canton of Valais, the same region that is home for the Matterhorn mountain (pictured)

On Friday a group of seven skiers were swept away by an avalanche as they descended the Pigne d'Arolla mountain within the Swiss Alps.

All except a German man, 60, were able to dig themselves out from under the snow.

He was airlifted to hospital but later died of his injuries.

Another three members of the group, which was made up of five skiers and two guides, were injured, according to a statement released by Swiss police.

Mount Velan, located on the border of Switzerland and Italy, is the highest summit sitting between the Great St Bernard Pass and Grand Combin.

General view of the Swiss Alps at night. 28 people have been killed skiing in the Swiss Alps this winter

Heavy snow overnight on Sunday across the Alps has raised the avalanche risk to four out of five.

During the coming days, Meteo France is forecasting up to 80cm of fresh snow at altitude in the Northern Alps accompanied by strong winds.

The large volume of fresh snow falling after a period of warm weather means the snow is particularly unstable and dangerous for skiiers, say experts.