The only survivor of the killer avalanche that swept three climbers to their deaths yesterday has spoken from his hospital bed.

Mathieu Biselx was climbing Ben Nevis with three friends when disaster struck 3000ft up the mountain on a route called Number 5 Gully.

Speaking to local Swiss newspaper Le Nouveliiste from his hospital bed, in Glasgow , he said: “It’s terrible, they’re not here anymore. They will not see their family again.”

30-year-old Mathieu is the president of the Sion branch of the Swiss Alpine Club and the four men are all from Sion, a town in the district of Valais, in Switzerland.

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Two men who died were French nationals while one was Swiss.

It is understood that two died in the avalanche itself, while the third passed away as mountain rescue teams carried him off the mountain.

No 5 Gully is considered one of the easier climbs on Ben Nevis, though weather conditions and recent snowfalls had made the area very treacherous.

The Scottish Avalanche Information Service had issued a red warning for the area - its highest hazard level.

A spokesperson for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said: "The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) confirms the death of a Swiss national during an avalanche in Scotland."

"Another Swiss national was injured."The Swiss representation in Great Britain is in contact with local authorities."