Pictured: The terrifying giant wall of ice that collapsed on a group of skiers in Austria leaving two men dead 

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These shocking pictures reveal the sheer magnitude of a giant wall of ice that collapsed in Austria, engulfing a group of skiers and leaving two men dead.

The deadly avalanche struck five people who had been skiing in an off-piste area near St Anton in Austria's western region of Tyrol on Friday. 

The tracks of the skiers could be seen weaving down the slope, before the group were submerged in a massive pack of ice that broke off the side of the mountain. 

This is the giant wall of ice that collapsed in Austria, engulfing a group of five skiers and leaving two men dead

Members of the mountain rescue emergency service could be seen scouring the area for survivors after the avalanche. 

The two men were found dead, but their gender and nationalities have not yet been established, a police spokesman said. 

It comes after four mountain climbers were killed in an avalanche in the same province.

The climbers were part of an eight-person ski touring group when the avalanche hit at about 12:30pm on Wednesday.

Four people in the group were able to free themselves from the snow on their own and alerted rescue crews.

Members of the moutain rescue emergency service could be seen scouring the area for survivors after the avalanche. The two men were found dead, but their gender and nationalities have not yet been established

It comes as four Swiss men were killed when their ski touring group was swept away by an avalanche in the same province on Wednesday

The avalanche came on the 2,450-metre-high Jochgrubenkopf mountain, southeast of Innsbruck, and measured about 700-metres-long with the snow depth reaching 12 metres.

The group of eight people were using touring skis, with which one can climb and descend, making remote areas accessible. 

A total of 267 people died in the Austrian Alps last year, down from an average of 297 over the past 10 years, including 17 in avalanches, according to the Austrian Alpine safety board. 

And in Italy, two backcountry skiers are believed to have died in an avalanche near the Swiss border, while a third skier survived unharmed.

Mountain rescue personnel tried to locate a skier at the Jochgrubenkopf mountain, southeast of Innsbruck, Austria

Horrifying photos showed the massive chasm left in the snow by the deadly 700 metre long avalanche

Spokesman Walter Milan said the three skiers were on a mountain above the village of Lanzada, 150 kilometers northeast of Milan at about 3000 metres above sea level.

They were struck Friday by an avalanche about 300 meters wide.

One skier escaped unharmed, while the other two, ages 43 and 53, were carried down a jagged, rocky slope. Three helicopters responded to the emergency.

Nearly 30 skiers have been killed in the Italian Alps this season, a significant increase over last year. Walter said an icy under-layer has elevated the avalanche risk, making even minor accumulations unstable.