The moment three snowboarders were engulfed in a massive avalanche in Italy has been captured on amateur camera.
In footage shot by a passing hiker, the three snowboarders are seen desperately trying to escape the wall of snow rolling down the mountain.
The cameraman, who watched the avalanche consume the trio within seconds, immediately alerted police and mountain rescue teams.
Authorities used dogs, heat-seeking equipment and a helicopter in a bid to rescue the buried snowboarders at Mt Cimone in the Italian Appenines, but they were unable to find them.
Police now believe the trio escaped unhurt and left the scene, the Daily Mail reports.
In the beginning of the hiker's video the snowboarders can be seen zig-zagging down the mountain, which is not recommended on fresh snow.
Police are now trying to track down the trio to charge them with "provoking an alarm" — an offence that carries a maximum six-month jail sentence.
"These three snowboarders were completely irresponsible and were lucky not to have been killed," a police spokesman said.
"The pictures are very dramatic and the walker called us as he was filming the avalanche to say he was looking at three boarders being literally swallowed by the snow.
"Rescue teams were dispatched but no trace of them was found so we can only assume they escaped. But we are trying to track them down and want to question them in connection with the crime of provoking an alarm."
The release of the footage follows recent reports of eight people killed in a series of avalanches across Italy.
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