Glacier rupture in extreme heat kills six
At least six people were killed and eight injured yesterday when a large block of ice broke away from a mountain in north-eastern Italy amid a record-breaking heatwave.
The piece of ice came loose from a glacier on the Marmolada mountain, the highest in the Italian Dolomites, according to the guard who sounded the alarm, causing a deadly avalanche.
The Alpine rescue service said in a tweet that the segment broke off near Punta Rocca, “along the itinerary normally used to reach the peak”.
Five bodies have so far been removed from beneath the ice but have yet to be transported to the valley. At least five helicopters and dog units were deployed to the mountain, the Corriere Della Sera reported. Two of the injured were taken to hospital in Belluno, another in a more serious condition was taken to Treviso and five to Trento, Michela Canova, an emergency services spokesperson, said. She did not specify the nationalities of the victims.
Footage shared on social media shows the moment the wave of ice cascaded downhill, barely missing a couple of hikers.
At 3343m, Marmolada is the highest part of the Dolomites mountain range. The glacier feeds the Avisio River and overlooks Lake Fedaia.
On Sunday, the mountain summit reached 10C. That was “extreme heat” for the peak, Walter Milan, an Alpine rescue service spokesman, told RAI state television. “Clearly, it’s something abnormal.”
The incident follows unseasonably hot weather in Italy. Some parts of the country surpassed 40C in June, and 12 cities were put on red alert last week due to the heatwave. — Telegraph Group Ltd