This file photo from 2005 shows climbers on the Arete Cosmique with a view of the north side of Mont Blanc du Tacul, left, Mont Maudit, centre, and Mont Blanc, right. (Arno Balzarini/Associated Press)The search for as many as 10 climbers who were swept away by an avalanche on a mountain in the French Alps was suspended Sunday because of the risk of more snowslides.

A wall of snow 200 metres long and about 45 metres wide tumbled down Mont Blanc du Tacul, set off by the fall of a massive block of ice, around 3 a.m. local time, authorities said.

In the afternoon, officials announced the search was on hold because they feared warm weather could melt other ice blocks and cause another avalanche.

The missing include five Austrians and three Swiss, and the nationalities of the other two were not immediately known, the Haute-Savoie regional government office said in a statement.

Eight people who survived the avalanche were taken to two nearby hospitals.

Three helicopters and dozens of rescuers with specially trained dogs have been involved in the search.

With files from the Associated Press