An avalanche in Italy's Dolomite mountains has claimed five lives, including a 17-year-old girl and her father, according to rescuers.
The climbers, part of separate groups, faced the deadly snowslide while scaling Cima Vertana in the Ortler Alps around 16:00 local time on Saturday. A trio of mountaineers was completely swept away by the avalanche, while the father and daughter were also caught in its path, with their bodies recovered the following day. Two other climbers managed to survive.
The search operation was initiated following an alarm raised by the surviving climbers. Olaf Reinstadler, a spokesperson for the Sulden Mountain Rescue Service, noted that the avalanche could have been triggered by recent snow drifts that lacked adequate bonding to the underlying ice. He expressed concerns about the decision to climb during late afternoon hours, which complicated the descent due to darkness.
Rescue efforts were hindered by poor visibility and fog, delaying helicopter evacuations until conditions improved. Once visibility increased, rescuers, alongside avalanche dog units, reached the mountain at 2,600 meters to continue the search. By late morning, they successfully found the bodies of the father and daughter.
