Six German tourists have been confirmed dead and four seriously injured after they were hit by a suspected drunk driver on Sunday morning at the popular Italian ski resort of Lutago.

Lutago is located in South Tyrol, a popular ski area on the Austrian border.

Alessandro Coassin, lieutenant of the Bolzano Carabinieri Police department said a total of 17 people were involved in the accident which happened at 1.20 am local time in Bolzano province, northern Italy.

Coassin said all of the six people who died were German and between the ages of 19 and 22, adding that four people were seriously injured, with two moved to hospitals in Austria, one in Bolzano and one in Brunico.

He further said local police also arrested the driver, a 27 year old man who allegedly had alcohol blood levels nearly four times higher than the legal limit.

Officials said that the victims and injured were German tourists returning to their hotel on a tourist bus, adding that an investigation into the incident has been opened.