'British family' gunned down in the Alps: Police guard girl of eight fighting for life after four die in holiday resort massacre

• Three of the corpses were in a car parked in a forest lay-by in hills next to Lake Annecy
• Badly wounded young girl, was also found in the 4x4, but later died of her injuries
• Male cyclist found dead nearby with gunshot wounds
• Armed police were tonight seen surrounding the Grenoble hospital where the single young survivor of the attack was in an intensive care unit

A girl of eight was fighting for her life last night after the massacre of a family, believed to be British, at a French alpine beauty spot.
A couple thought to be her parents and another woman were gunned down in a British-registered BMW car. A passing cyclist was also shot dead.
The girl was found near the car. She had been shot three times.

Tragic: French Police officers cordon off the road leading to the scene where four people died in a shooting at a parking in Chevaline near the Annecy Lake

Grim: Three of the corpses - two women and a man - were in a car parked in a forest lay-by in hills next to Lake Annecy, in France's Haute-Savoie region

Confusion: Earlier reports had suggested the young girl had died in the attack, but later the prosecutor who had announced her death issued a correction and she is fighting for life at Grenoble's CHU hospital

The male driver was found slumped over the wheel of the car, while the two women were in the back seat.
The body of the male cyclist was found a few yards from the car, which was in a remote woodland car park near the town of Chevaline, close to the mountain resort town of Albertville.
One theory was that the cyclist saw the shooting and was killed to silence him.
Dozens of bullet cartridges littered the scene.

Killed: The identity of the cyclist was not revealed but police believe he may have tried to intervene during a suspected armed robbery attempt on the family in the roadside rest area

Press: Annecy prosecutor Eric Maillaud answers to journalists on the road leading to the scene - he confirmed the young girl was not dead and was in intensive care

Closed off: A firemen and rescue vehicle is driven on the road leading to the grisly scene

The bloodbath was discovered by a second cyclist – thought to be British – who stumbled on the horror scene at 4pm (3pm UK time).
The area is close to the Swiss and Italian borders. Nestled in hills next to Lake Annecy, in France’s Haute-Savoie region, it is a magnet for British holidaymakers.
The girl was found a short distance from the car, bleeding from ‘at least three’ gunshot wounds, according to a source.
She was airlifted in an air ambulance to Grenoble’s CHU hospital where she underwent surgery. At one point, police incorrectly announced she had died.
Armed police formed a ring of steel at the hospital to ensure no further harm came to the girl.
Last night the cyclist who called police from his mobile phone was treated for severe shock and questioned by detectives.
Eric Maillaud, the investigating prosecutor from Annecy, said: ‘It is a dramatic crime scene like we see on the TV. We are employing all necessary means to investigate. Two men and two women are the victims. The car is a British-registered BMW estate.
‘One of the male victims was a cyclist. He was found near his bike in his cycling gear. The other man was in the driving seat of the car. The two women were in the back of the car. There is a large number of gun cartridges at the crime scene.’

Tourist destination: The attack took place close to Doussard, which is full of holiday lets and hugely popular with British people during the summer months

Didier Berthollet, mayor of Chevaline, said that ‘the victims were not from the village’, adding that locals had told police they had seen a car speeding past between 3pm and 4pm. At least 60 policemen sealed off the area and a helicopter was circling overhead. There were no reports that anyone had been arrested.
Police also questioned villagers about reports a motorbike was heard speeding away from the scene.
The motive for the carnage remained a mystery last night.
The ferocity of the attack – and the apparent attempt to leave no witnesses – suggested it may have been the work of a professional assassin. Another theory is that it was a heist, but armed robberies of holidaymakers are not considered a problem in the area.
The attack took place close to Doussard, which is hugely popular with British holidaymakers during the summer months.
Police have not yet confirmed the nationalities of the deceased, but they are thought to be from the UK because of the BMW’s registration plates.  
No weapons were found at the scene, but gendarmes said that all the victims had been shot. The cartridges at the scene indicate that the gunshots came from outside the vehicle.
The crime scene was ‘frozen’ while gendarmes waited for a specialist forensic team.
An Albertville police spokesman said: ‘We are looking at the possibility that the three dead people in the car and the young girl were all from the same family.
‘From the registration of the car, we believe this family may have been British. The entire area has been sealed off while a full multiple murder investigation is under way.’
Up to 500,000 Britons pass through the Annecy area each year, either on their way to winter ski holidays, or to enjoy summers around the lakes and mountains.
The Foreign Office said it was aware of the reports and making urgent inquiries, but was not in a position to confirm any nationalities.