A FATHER and his teenage daughter were among five mountaineers killed by an avalanche in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains.
The victims, all of them German, were climbing the Vertana Summit when the devastating snowslide devastated them on Saturday afternoon.
A group of three people were “completely swept away by the avalanche” and all died; Their bodies were found on Saturday, according to Italy’s alpine rescue service.
The alpine rescue service reported that due to fog and poor visibility, the helicopters were unable to take off at first light on Sunday.
However, once conditions improved, rescuers and avalanche dog units were flown into the mountains before setting off on foot.
Late on Sunday morning, the bodies of the two missing mountaineers, the father and daughter, were found.
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Rescue services spokesman Federico Catania said of them: “They had been dragged to the bottom of the ravine where the avalanche occurred.
“Rescue teams are now returning to the valley, also considering worsening weather conditions at high altitude.
Two men from a third survived a collision with the avalanche and were airlifted to a hospital in the nearby city of Bolzano.
The avalanche occurred around 4 p.m. and at an altitude of more than 11,500 feet.
Rescuers said they had not established why the groups were still ascending at this late hour.
They believe that the three affected groups rose independently of each other.
South Tyrol is a popular mountaineering region among German tourists.
The highest peak in the region is Ortles, at 3,905 meters.
Avalanche accidents are a persistent problem in the Italian Alps, with the country recording one of the highest 10-year annual death averages among major ski countries.
The victims are usually mountain skiers or freeriders.
Some analyzes suggest that the number of accidents has increased in recent years, possibly because more people head to rural areas immediately after a new snowfall.
