Three people have died and relief work is under way after an avalanche in a national park in the French Alps, local media say.

Le Dauphine newspaper reported that the victims were cross-country skiers who got caught up in the snow slide at around 10am (local time) on Tuesday.

The trio, one of which was a guide, were in the Albaron area of Haut Maurienne, not far from the Italian border at the time.

The paper said they had made their way up the Col du Greffier, a summit in the Bonneval-sur-Arc in the Parc national de la Vanoise.

The mayor of Bonneval-sur-Arc said the operation to search for more victims has been halted as they are confident they have found all those involved.

Gabriel Blanc said: "It's over. The three bodies are on the surface. We know from a reliable source that they were only three."