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Avalanche kills 10 at Turkish ski resort

  • Story Highlights
  • Seven people pulled alive from the snow at resort of Zigana, authorities say
  • Survivor: "All of a sudden we saw snow coming down and it took us away"
  • Police: Victims in Scottish avalanche Saturday were from N. Ireland, Scotland
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(CNN) -- An avalanche at a ski resort in northeastern Turkey buried a group of hikers on Sunday, killing 10 of them, authorities said.

Rescue efforts are continuing at the Turkish resort of Zigana, where 10 people have died.

Rescue efforts are continuing at the Turkish resort of Zigana, where 10 people have died.

Rescue workers pulled seven survivors from the snow at the resort in Zigana, Turkey, according to Enver Salihoglu, the governor of the nearby city of Gumushane.

At least two of the survivors were hospitalized, Salihoglu told CNN Turk.

Rescue efforts were halted after all climbers were accounted for, according to a spokesperson for Salihoglu. Video Watch Turkish avalanche rescue »

The victims were part of a group that was hiking in a valley with mountains on each side.

"We were walking in a single-person line when all of a sudden we saw snow coming down and it took us away," one of the survivors told Turkey's Dogan News Agency from his hospital bed. "When it stopped, I was able to make a hole with one arm and I started breathing from there."

A documentary filmmaker, who had recently been working in the area, told CNN Turk that the temperature had been rising and that may have increased the risk of avalanches in the area.

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Police in Scotland on Sunday named the three men who died in an avalanche in the Scottish Highlands a day earlier. Video Watch report on Scottish avalanche »

They were Eamonn Murphy, 61, and his brother, John Anthony Murphy, 63, both from Northern Ireland; and Brian Arthur Murray, 46, from Scotland.

The men were among several groups climbing the Buchaille Etive Mor in the Glencoe region. The avalanche occurred about noon Saturday, according to the Northern Constabulary police.

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In all, nine people in two separate parties were caught up in the avalanche, but five escaped injury. One person remains hospitalized, police said.

Police also reminded climbers there is a high risk of avalanches in the Highlands in the next few days.

CNN's Talia Kayali contributed to this report

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