6 September 2012 Last updated at 03:35 ET
The driver of the car was a British citizen, police have confirmed
A four-year-old girl has been found hiding inside a British-registered car in which three bodies were discovered eight hours earlier, French police say.
The bodies of two women and a male driver - all thought to be British - were found near Lake Annecy in the Alps on Thursday. A cyclist, said to be a local man, was found shot dead nearby.
Officials said the unharmed girl was hiding under one of the bodies.
A second, older girl was lying in the road and is in a critical condition.
Police say the driver of the BMW was a UK citizen and they believe all those dead in the vehicle were part of a British family on holiday.
The British Foreign Office (FCO) is trying to establish their identities.
Prosecutor Eric Maillaud said the little girl, who spoke English, was found hiding under the legs of one of the women at about midnight local time (22:00 GMT).
He said the girl, who is being looked after by French authorities, was only found when special investigators reached the scene - long after police had sealed off the area.
"She was hidden under the bodies for some eight hours and didn't move for the whole time," he said.
He added: "The little girl spoke English. She had heard the noises, the cries, but she couldn't say more - she is only four years old."
The older girl, variously reported as aged seven or eight, was taken by helicopter to hospital.
She was said to be in a more stable condition on Thursday morning, according to officials.
The older girl was initially reported to have died of her injuries but Mr Maillaud, who had announced her death, later issued a correction.
Mr Maillaud said the family was on a camping holiday on the edge of Lake Annecy in the Haute-Savoie region, a popular tourist destination.
The bodies were found in a car park in a quiet, forested area in the foothills of the Alps.
Another cyclist who came across the scene at about 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Wednesday was said to be in shock.
British consular staff arrived in Grenoble on Thursday morning and are on the way to the scene to work with French authorities, an FCO spokesman said.
The area has been sealed off by police, who have started a criminal investigation into what they are calling a multiple murder.
Some 15 spent cartridges from an automatic pistol were found at the crime scene.
Head of the investigation, Benoit Vinnemann, said: "The three bodies found in the car appear to be the father, mother and grandmother.
"It is in any case a family, according to British people at the Saint Jorioz camping site who reported their disappearance on Wednesday night," he added.
A four-year-old girl has been found hiding inside a British-registered car in which three bodies were discovered eight hours earlier, French police say.
The bodies of two women and a male driver - all thought to be British - were found near Lake Annecy in the Alps on Thursday. A cyclist, said to be a local man, was found shot dead nearby.
Officials said the unharmed girl was hiding under one of the bodies.
A second, older girl was lying in the road and is in a critical condition.
Police say the driver of the BMW was a UK citizen and they believe all those dead in the vehicle were part of a British family on holiday.
The British Foreign Office (FCO) is trying to establish their identities.
Prosecutor Eric Maillaud said the little girl, who spoke English, was found hiding under the legs of one of the women at about midnight local time (22:00 GMT).
He said the girl, who is being looked after by French authorities, was only found when special investigators reached the scene - long after police had sealed off the area.
"She was hidden under the bodies for some eight hours and didn't move for the whole time," he said.
He added: "The little girl spoke English. She had heard the noises, the cries, but she couldn't say more - she is only four years old."
The older girl, variously reported as aged seven or eight, was taken by helicopter to hospital.
She was said to be in a more stable condition on Thursday morning, according to officials.
The older girl was initially reported to have died of her injuries but Mr Maillaud, who had announced her death, later issued a correction.
Mr Maillaud said the family was on a camping holiday on the edge of Lake Annecy in the Haute-Savoie region, a popular tourist destination.
The bodies were found in a car park in a quiet, forested area in the foothills of the Alps.
Another cyclist who came across the scene at about 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Wednesday was said to be in shock.
British consular staff arrived in Grenoble on Thursday morning and are on the way to the scene to work with French authorities, an FCO spokesman said.
The area has been sealed off by police, who have started a criminal investigation into what they are calling a multiple murder.
Some 15 spent cartridges from an automatic pistol were found at the crime scene.
Head of the investigation, Benoit Vinnemann, said: "The three bodies found in the car appear to be the father, mother and grandmother.
"It is in any case a family, according to British people at the Saint Jorioz camping site who reported their disappearance on Wednesday night," he added.