Three German skiers have been killed in an avalanche in the Austrian Alps – and a fourth is missing, police have said.

The bodies of the men – aged 57, 36 and 32 – were recovered on Saturday evening near Lech, a few hours after the wife of one of the skiers reported them missing.

Austria <a href=Weather">Major snowfall has hit large parts of Europe (Kerstin Joensson/AP)

Police in Vorarlberg, Austria’s western-most province, said on Sunday they had to call off the search for another German, aged 28, because of heavy snow and the risk of avalanches.

The avalanche deaths bring to at least 24 the number of weather-related fatalities reported in parts of Europe this month.

On Saturday, authorities in southern Germany and Austria used a break in the weather to clear heavy loads of snow from roofs and roads.