Avalanche in Italy : Tragedy Strikes in Italy’s Dolomites as Avalanche Claims Lives of Climbers

An avalanche in Italy’s Dolomites on Saturday afternoon led to the deaths of five German climbers, marking a devastating incident in the Ortler Alps. The disaster occurred around 4 p.m. on Cima Vertana, also known as Vertainspitze, a towering 3,545-meter peak located in South Tyrol near the Swiss border.

Among the victims were a father and daughter from a separate climbing group, who were swept into a ravine and did not survive. Rescue teams noted that the climbers had embarked on their ascent unusually late in the day, which may have contributed to the tragedy.

Two individuals were rescued and flown to a hospital in Bolzano for treatment. Experts believe that recent snowfalls failed to properly bond with the underlying ice, creating unstable conditions that triggered the avalanche.

Later that evening, another group of three climbers was found buried under the snow, all confirmed dead. Avalanche rescue dogs played a crucial role in the search efforts.