Accident in the Dolomites: at least six dead after a glacier rupture in northern Italy

With brutal thunder, masses of ice, snow and rocks fall from a glacier in northern Italy into the valley. They drag mountaineers with them, some to their deaths. The massive glacier fall on the Marmolada, the highest mountain in the Dolomites, claimed at least six lives on Sunday.

According to regional president Maurizio Fugatti, up to 14 other alpinists were injured, one of them seriously. More victims were feared. Nothing was initially known about the nationality.

A number of cell phone videos showed how the avalanche fell over the rock faces of the massif in Tal. She also plowed down one of the main access routes to the 3,343-meter mountain, which featured several rope teams. At least two were hit. A spokesman for the Italian mountain rescue service told the German Press Agency that it was initially unclear whether there were individual mountaineers at the scene of the accident in addition to the rope teams.

All mountain rescuers in the area from the Veneto and Trentino-South Tyrol regions were alerted. They flew five helicopters up the mountain and recovered the dead and injured. Some dog teams were used to search for other victims.

However, the search and rescue teams were withdrawn again on Sunday evening because there was a risk that parts of the glacier could fall off again. The helicopters flew on and also brought those people who were stranded above the accident site into the valley. There, based on the cars in the parking lots, it was also checked who could still be under the avalanche.

“Worst possible time and day”

Carlo Budel, the host of the Capanna Punta Penia refuge, spoke in an Instagram video of the “worst possible time and day on which the chunk could come loose”.

Shortly after midday, countless mountaineers were out and about on the popular massif on a summery Sunday. Budel asked all alpinists not to come to the Marmolada until further notice. “Stay as far away from this glacier as possible,” warned the innkeeper.

“We heard a loud noise, typical of a landslide,” said an eyewitness to the Ansa news agency. “After that, we saw an avalanche of snow and ice fall towards the valley at high speed and we knew something bad had happened.”

Mountain rescuer Luigi Felicetti reported: “When we arrived on site, we were presented with an incredible picture. There were blocks of ice and huge stones everywhere. We then started looking for the people.”

Currently popular with Tagesspiegel Plus:

Prime Minister Mario Draghi expressed his condolences to the victims and their families in the evening and announced that he would be kept up to date by civil defense and regional politicians.

There was initially no official information on the cause of the accident – however, everything indicates that the high temperatures of the past few days, weeks and months are likely to play a role. According to media reports, a record value of ten degrees was measured on the summit of the mountain on Saturday.

“I’ve never seen anything like it on the Marmolada. It wasn’t a normal avalanche like in winter,” said a mountain rescuer. He compared the accident to a building and spoke of a “structural failure”. Italy registered much less precipitation than usual last winter, and many glaciers now lack snow to protect them from the sun and the warm temperatures. (dpa)