Four feared dead after horror avalanche traps skiers in Greenland as major rescue operation launched

Four skiers are feared dead after becoming trapped under a huge avalanche in Greenland on Saturday afternoon.

An emergency response is ongoing to find the missing four, with hopes for their survival fading with each passing hour.

Local media outlet Sermitsiaq reports the harrowing incident unfolded near the nation's capital Nuuk yesterday.

The first new bulletins indicate that four people are unaccounted for - all thought to be buried beneath snow and debris.

Police Chief Karsten Højrup Kristensen said emergency responders received the first report at 3.45pm local time.

He stated the Arctic Command and local police are heavily involved in the ongoing search, with a helicopter seen circling the area in a desperate attempt to find the missing skiers.

The disaster occurred one week after a tourist was killed by a 820ft-wide avalanche in Marchkopf, Austria.

Federico Giubilato, 41, from Bassano del Grappa, in northern Italy, was skiing with a friend when he was swept over by over 5ft of falling ice.

The 36-year-old friend was able to pull himself out of the snow with just a hand injury and call for help.

But Giubilato, a mechanical engineer who would have turned 42 on Monday, could not be saved, despite the efforts of mountain rescue services.

It took 30 minutes for rescuers to dig through the ice and find his body.