Boy trapped for 40 minutes under avalanche miraculously survives

After being buried under an avalanche for 40 minutes, a 12-year-old boy has been found alive.

Police in the French Alps say that the boy was skiing at the La Plagne ski resort when he was swept away by a large amount of snow.

While rescue workers flew to the scene in a helicopter, it was a sniffer dog that found the young boy.

Rescuers called the operation "miraculous" because apparently after 15 minutes trapped under the snow, survival is minimal.

The boy also seemingly escaped the order without so much as a scratch but was taken to the hospital for a check-up.