Twelve people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning at a ski resort in Georgia, police have said.

The bodies of 11 foreigners and one Georgian national were found in a sleeping area above a restaurant at the ski station of Gudauri in the north of the country, according to officials.

Police said “preliminary tests do not indicate any trace of violence on the bodies” and it appeared to be an accident, the AFP news agency reported.

Gudauri is the largest and highest ski resort in the former Soviet state.