After the heat wave that caused the melting of a large portion of the Marmolada Glacier, one of the most important in the Italian Alps (which left at least six people dead and eight others injured), search operations for survivors were resumed Monday.
However, rescuers in Italy had no hope of finding survivors on Monday.
Many helicopters were deployed immediately to assist in rescue operations and to monitor the progress of the situation. However, the search was stopped at nightfall. The collapse took place the day following a temperature record at 10degC at the summit of the glacier.
According to Italian media, foreign nationals were among those roped in by the avalanche.
Two Germans were among the injured, a man aged 67 and a woman aged 58. Their prognosis was “reserved”, according to the Veneto medical office.
Alpine rescue activated a toll free number to allow people to report missing relatives on glacier excursions.
The Marmolada’s collapse was “the consequence of current meteorological conditions”, that is, an episode of early warmth which coincides with global warming problem, explained Professor Massimo Frezzotti of the Department of Sciences at the Rome 3 University. The collapse was evident from the images. Because of the melting in the Alps, we can see that there’s a lot of water. It was a very dry winter with 40-50% of the rainfall falling short. According to the researcher, current glacier conditions correspond with mid-August and not early July.”
A rescue spokesperson described the “avalanche” of snow, rock, and ice that plowed through the access road, where several roped parties were present. Some of them were swept away. She added that it is unknown how many climbers were involved.
Near the village of Punta Rocca, the glacier collapsed along the normal route to its summit.
Filmed from a shelter nearby the disaster, footage shows snow and rock rolling down the slopes with a crashing sound. Tourists also captured images on their phones showing the avalanche from afar, blowing away all that is in its way, including climbers.
Images taken by Alpine rescue show rescuers near the scene of the catastrophe, which was overflowed by helicopters. They were transporting the victims to Canazei (near the spot where the cable car departs). This leads to the summit. Rescuers had to remove the bodies from the gangue made of ice and rock. This was a difficult task for canine units.
Marmolada glacier is known as “the queen of Dolomites” and is the largest glacier of northern Italy’s mountain range, which is part 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 the ten most serious threats from global warming. It disrupts ecosystems and threatens certain infrastructures. .
