Three snowboarders have died in an avalanche in the Pirin mountain above the town of Razlog, in southwestern Bulgaria, 24 Chasa daily reported on Sunday.

Police have confirmed the death of three young men, aged 29, 34 and 38, all of them Bulgarian nationals, the daily said. BGNES news outlet reported earlier the three were Greek nationals.

According to 24 Chasa, the three men were part of a group of 17 people from Sofia who had arrived at Yavorov Hut above Razlog on March 6. The group went sliding down the slopes outside marked ski runs despite warnings of very high risk of avalanches there.

The remaining 14 members of the group are safe.

Mountain rescuers from Razlog and the nearby ski resort of Bansko have headed to the site of the incident to recover the dead bodies who were discovered by surviving members of the group.

The news daily reported earlier on Sunday that two skiers have been hit by an avalanche during skiing outside marked ski runs near Yavorov Hut above Razlog in defiance of the avalanche alert issued by the mountain rescue service.

It was not immediately clear whether the two men were among those killed by the avalanche.