At least five German climbers, including a 17-year-old girl, have lost their lives in the Italian Alps after being caught in an avalanche on Saturday. The tragic incident occurred near the Swiss border in South Tyrol's north-eastern region, where three separate groups of climbers – traveling independently from one another – were swept away by a torrent of snow and ice.
According to Italy's alpine rescue services, the first group of three people was completely buried under the avalanche. Unfortunately, their bodies were recovered on Saturday afternoon. Two other climbers managed to escape the deadly slide but required hospital treatment for shock in the nearby city of Bolzano. However, two others – a man and his 17-year-old daughter – remained missing, with rescue teams having little hope of finding them alive after falling approximately 200 meters.
A helicopter, drones, and thermal imaging were used to conduct a search operation on Saturday night before resuming on Sunday morning. The bodies of the two missing climbers were found soon after, reportedly having been dragged down to the lower part of the gully where the avalanche occurred. Rescue teams are now returning to the valley as weather conditions worsen at high altitudes.
The incident is believed to have taken place while climbers were summiting Cima Vertana in the Ortler mountain range at an altitude over 11,500 feet. They appeared to be just a few hundred meters from the summit when the avalanche struck at around 4 pm on Saturday. It's unclear why they had approached the summit so late in the day.
Avalanches pose a significant threat in the Italian Alps, with Italy ranking among the countries with the highest average 10-year death tolls in major ski nations. The number of accidents has been increasing in recent years, possibly due to more people venturing into back-country areas immediately after fresh snowfall.
According to Italy's alpine rescue services, the first group of three people was completely buried under the avalanche. Unfortunately, their bodies were recovered on Saturday afternoon. Two other climbers managed to escape the deadly slide but required hospital treatment for shock in the nearby city of Bolzano. However, two others – a man and his 17-year-old daughter – remained missing, with rescue teams having little hope of finding them alive after falling approximately 200 meters.
A helicopter, drones, and thermal imaging were used to conduct a search operation on Saturday night before resuming on Sunday morning. The bodies of the two missing climbers were found soon after, reportedly having been dragged down to the lower part of the gully where the avalanche occurred. Rescue teams are now returning to the valley as weather conditions worsen at high altitudes.
The incident is believed to have taken place while climbers were summiting Cima Vertana in the Ortler mountain range at an altitude over 11,500 feet. They appeared to be just a few hundred meters from the summit when the avalanche struck at around 4 pm on Saturday. It's unclear why they had approached the summit so late in the day.
Avalanches pose a significant threat in the Italian Alps, with Italy ranking among the countries with the highest average 10-year death tolls in major ski nations. The number of accidents has been increasing in recent years, possibly due to more people venturing into back-country areas immediately after fresh snowfall.
! 17 year old girl and a man with his daughter missing!! my heart is literally bursting 
it's just not fair how quickly these avalanches can come out of nowhere and just sweep ppl away 
. i mean we all know the risks when ur venturing into those mountains, but does it have to be so brutal? 
I'm literally imagining those poor people trapped under all that snow and ice, thinking they're gonna make it out alive... but nope 
. I feel like Italy needs to do more to educate ppl about avalanche safety, like u know, before they head out into the mountains 
. This is just devastating 
what's going on with these young climbers? I mean 17-year-old girl, that's just heartbreaking 
and the fact that they were so close to the summit, but still managed to get caught in an avalanche... it's just not right 
. And the thing is, avalanches are super common in those mountains, like Italy actually has one of the highest death tolls in Europe, but you'd think people would be more prepared and aware of the risks 
. Maybe they were taking some unnecessary risks, who knows? But still, it's just such a tragedy 
.
. Like, always check the weather and snow conditions before heading out, make sure you have the right gear and training... it's just basic common sense 
.
the more people who venture into those areas without proper training, the higher the risk 
. It's not like they didn't have time to check the avalanche reports before venturing out. I guess some people just can't handle a little bit of bad luck or common sense 
.
17 year old girl lost her life 
