After the heat wave that caused the melting of part of Marmolada glacier (the largest in the Italian Alps), on Monday July 4, search operations for survivors were resumed. At least six people died and eight others were injured.
The catastrophe occurred one day after a record temperature at the glacier’s top of 10 degrees Celsius. This was due to global warming over decades and an early heat wave which overwhelmed the entire Italian peninsula and increased its melting.
Giovanni Bernard, Canazei’s mayor, said that rescuers used drones with thermal cameras to find survivors in the gangue. Rescuers cannot proceed on foot because of these dangerous conditions. The area was also dominated by helicopters.
Michela Canova, a spokeswoman for rescue, told AFP Monday that six people had died and eight were injured. Ansa reports that at least three Italians, and one Czech were among those killed in the avalanche.
Gianpaolo bottacin, head of civil protection in Veneto, also mentioned that “disappeared”, but did not want to give a number.
Gino Comelli, a high-mountain rescuer, said that they found the bodies in a pile of ice, debris, over 1,000m. This was quoted by Corriere della Sera.
Alpine rescue activated a toll free number to allow people to report missing relatives to the Alpine Rescue. Mario Draghi was the head of the Italian government and was scheduled to travel there in the morning.
According to Massimo Frezzotti of Roma Tre University’s department of Sciences, the collapse of Marmolada was “the result of current weather conditions, which is to say an episode in early heat that coincides with global warming”, explained AFP.
“The melting in the Alps has accelerated. It was a very dry winter with 40-50% of the rainfall falling short. According to the researcher, the current glacier conditions correspond with mid-August and not early July.”
Stefano Dal Moro, an engineer, said that it was a miracle that they are alive. He was there with an Israeli friend. “There was a thud and that’s when the sea of ice rolled on top. He told Corriere della Sera that running is futile and all you can do was pray. Near Punta Rocca, the glacier gave way along the normal route to its summit.
A shelter was set up near the disaster to capture snow and rocks rolling down the mountain’s slopes with a loud crash. Tourists also captured images on their phones showing the grayish tongue that the avalanche left behind, which swept away all obstacles in its path.
Images taken by Alpine rescue show rescuers near the scene of the catastrophe, with helicopters transporting the victims to Canazei. This village is not far from where the cable car leads to the summit of the glacier. During the day, families were expected to be in Canazei.
Marmolada glacier is known as “the queen of Dolomites” and is the largest glacier of northern Italy’s mountain range. It is part of the Alps. It is located in Trentino and overlooks Lake Fedaia.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC), melting of ice or snow is one of 10 major threats that global warming poses to ecosystems and infrastructures. .
According to the IPCC, glaciers in Scandinavia and central Europe could lose 60-80% of their mass by 2050. Traditional life for people like the Sami of Lapland who practice reindeer farming is already being disrupted. Thawing permafrost in Canada and Russia is causing economic problems.
