LYON (AFP) - A light aircraft made an emergency landing on a French Alps ski slope on Thursday, just missing a group of children but clipping a Polish skier, nearly severing her hand.

"We only narrowly avoided a catastrophe," said a source at the firefighters, who declined to be named. "The plane passed under the ski lift, just missed the trees and then a group of children before touching down on a blue run on which the woman was skiing," the source added.

The single-propeller aircraft injured the Polish 55-year-old woman's arm and hand. She was immediately evacuated to a local hospital, by helicopter. She suffered a "near amputation" in the incident, according to emergency services.

The accident happened at the ski resort of Avoriaz in the French Alps close to the border with Switzerland.