SOCHI, February 24. /TASS/. A skier who went missing after an avalanche near the Rosa Khutor resort may have been swept away by the snow mass, the Emergency Ministry said.

A rescue operation is underway, but the search is complicated by a blizzard.

"Two snowboarders contacted the Russian Emergency Ministry’s duty officer and provided their coordinates. One of the men said that he saw an avalanche and how a skier was swept away by a snow mass. A snowstorm has started at the scene, which significantly complicates the search," the ministry said in a report.

According to the Emergency Ministry, the avalanche occurred outside the marked trails of the Rosa Khutor resort. Two people are near the hazardous zone; they cannot return to the resort on their own. The tourists said they had lost touch with the third person in their group.

A Rosa Khutor spokesperson said that the group consisted of a guide and two skiers.