Three members of a group of seven Croatian mountaineers were swept away by the avalanche Sunday.

They had decided to descend from a hut near the Tosc mountain in the Julian Alps despite worsening weather conditions.

"Unfortunately, all three mountaineers died in the avalanche," rescue operation head Miha Arh told journalists in Stara Fuzina near the Italian border.

The body of one of the mountaineers was found late Sunday before the search, involving more than 60 rescuers, was suspended due to the danger of new avalanches.

The search resumed on Monday, when improved weather allowed helicopters to be used.

The other two bodies were buried in snow in a ravine some 350 metres away from where the avalanche hit them, according to Arh.

The Julian Alps are a popular destination for domestic and foreign mountaineers.

Some 20 people die per year on average in Slovenia's mountains, according to national rescue association data.