Five German climbers, including a 17-year-old girl, have died after being swept away by an avalanche in the Italian Alps, rescue services have confirmed. The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon near the Swiss border in the South Tyrol region of north-eastern Italy.
According to Italian media, three groups of climbers, believed to be travelling independently, were caught in the torrent of snow as it descended Cima Vertana in the Ortler mountain range. The avalanche struck at around 4pm while the climbers were using crampons and ice axes to summit the peak at an altitude of more than 3,500 metres.
Italy's alpine rescue services reported that the first group of three climbers—two men and a woman—was completely buried, and their bodies were recovered on Saturday. Two other climbers ahead of the group managed to escape and raised the alarm; they were taken to a hospital in Bolzano for treatment for shock.
By nightfall, a man and his 17-year-old daughter remained missing, having fallen approximately 200 metres. Rescuers held little hope of finding them alive, but a search resumed on Sunday morning using a helicopter, drones, and thermal imaging. Their bodies were soon discovered in the lower part of the gully where the avalanche occurred.
Federico Catania, an Alpine rescue spokesperson, told the Associated Press that the victims were dragged to the lower part of the gully. He added that rescue teams were returning to the valley due to worsening weather conditions at high altitude. The risk of avalanches had not been high on Saturday, but the avalanche may have been triggered by sudden wind or a snowdrift that had accumulated on the summit in recent days.
Avalanches are a persistent issue in the Italian Alps, with the average 10-year death toll higher than in most other major ski nations. The number of accidents has increased in recent years, possibly due to more people heading to back-country areas immediately after fresh snowfall.
