The accident took place on Saturday afternoon when a group of four Croatian students were climbing the mountain and were caught in the avalanche at Kokrsko Sedlo, a valley some 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Slovenian capital Ljubljana.

"One of the students was slightly injured and managed to walk away and search for help. The rescue teams went back to the location of the avalanche at 4:00 am and by noon (on Sunday) found another mountaineer injured but alive," the station reported.

The two other climbers died under the snow, it said.

"The mountain climbers where rather well equipped, but the bad weather and wet snow made it very dangerous to stay at that location (where the avalanche took place)," mountain rescue team chief Janez Podjed told POP TV.

Slovenian media said this was the first such accident that has taken place this year in the Slovenian Alps.

TERRA.WIRE