British climbers killed in Alps named

Two British climbers killed in the French Alps have been named by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) as John Taylor and Steve Barber. The pair, both from York, were killed in an avalanche alongside seven others on Mont Maudit near Chamonix on Thursday. A third Brit killed on the mountain was named earlier as experienced climber Robert Payne. Payne, from London, was working as a guide and was a former general secretary of the British Mountaineering Council. The climbers had been part of a 28-person strong group traversing Mont Maudit. They had been en route to climb Mt Blanc.