At least six mountaineers have been killed in an avalanche in the Dolomites in northern Italy. According to the Italian La Republica there are dozens of missing people. The avalanche started when large boulders and chunks of ice broke loose after a rupture in a glacier on Mount Marmolada, near the famous winter sports resort of Canazei.
At the time the glacier broke, there were two groups with a total of eighteen mountaineers nearby. At least eight people were injured. Several helicopters and rescue teams with dogs have been deployed to locate the missing tourists. Because there is loose ice and new avalanches can occur, rescuers are making slow progress, Italian media report.
The Marmolada is the highest mountain in the Dolomites at 3,300 meters and a popular place for mountain tourists. The site of the fracture is said to have occurred close to a well-known climbing route. An eyewitness told Ansa news agency of “a loud, cracking sound” followed by “an avalanche of snow and ice that went at high speed towards the valley”.
It is unknown what caused the sudden glacier break, but local authorities point to the heat wave that has plagued Italy since the end of June. For example, record temperatures were measured near the collapsed glacier last Sunday.