At least six people are killed when a glacier breaks off in the northern Italian Dolomites. It happens on a summer day. This explains why so many climbers were out – and raises questions in view of record temperatures on the Marmolada.
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. According to regional president Maurizio Fugatti, up to 14 other alpinists were injured, one of them seriously.
In addition to the six confirmed deaths from the glacier fall in the Dolomites, the rescue workers fear a good dozen more victims. The Ansa news agency reported around 15 missing people, referring to rescue groups. 16 cars were counted in the parking lot at the foot of the northern Italian mountain massif Marmolada, from which the ascent paths start, whose owners have not yet been located. “We don’t know yet whether the cars belong to the dead or missing people or to people who have nothing to do with the accident,” said the regional president of Trentino-Alto Adige, Maurizio Fugatti.
A number of cell phone videos showed how the avalanche fell over the rock faces of the massif into the valley. 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 said that it was initially unclear whether, in addition to the rope teams, there were individual mountaineers at the scene of the accident.
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However, the search and rescue teams were withdrawn again on Sunday evening because there was a risk that parts of the glacier could fall off again.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.
Carlo Budel, the host of the Capanna Punta Penia refuge, spoke in an Instagram video of the “worst possible time and day that 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.
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 people.”
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 that on the Marmolada. It wasn’t a normal avalanche like in winter,” said another 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.
