A massive block broke off from the Marmolada glacier, the largest in the Italian Alps, on Sunday afternoon, triggering an avalanche that killed at least six and injured eight. Aid spokeswoman Michela Canova told AFP early yesterday that the death toll, initially at five, had risen to “six confirmed casualties“.
We should also feel sorry for the eight injured. two of them were taken to Belluno hospital, a more serious one in Treviso and five in Trento, he said, without elaborating on the victims’ nationalities. Several helicopters have been deployed to participate in rescue operations and monitor the development of the situation. Indeed, this collapse occurred the day after a record temperature of ten degrees on top of the glacier.
According to Renato Colucci, a glacier expert quoted by the Italian AGI agency, this phenomenon “must be repeated“because”Temperatures in the Alps have been above normal for weeks“.
The search resumed on Monday
The search for possible survivors resumed on Monday, July 4. Rescuers deployed drones equipped with thermal cameras overnight in the hope of finding survivors amid the ice and crumbling rocks, Canazei Mayor Giovanni Bernard told AFP. “These are dangerous conditions for rescuerswho cannot advance on foot.
Rescue spokeswoman Michela Canova told AFP on Monday that the death toll still stood at six dead and eight injured. According to Ansa news agency, at least three Italians and one Czech are among the climbers who died as a result of the avalanche. Gianpaolo Botticin, head of civil defense of the Veneto province, also referred to “of the disappearednot wanting, however, to specify the number. “We found the bodies in a pile of ice and debris spread over 1,000 meters away.“, Gino Comelli testifies about the rescuers in the high mountains, quoted by the daily Corriere della Sera.
Alpine rescue has activated a toll-free number to report people who have not heard from relatives on a glacier excursion. The head of the Italian government, Mario Draghi, was supposed to go there in the morning.
Gray language
An aid spokesperson described “an avalanche of snow, ice and rock that hit the access road on its way, when there were several ropes, some of which were blown away.“. “The final number of climbers involved is not yet known.“, he added. According to the civil protection department of the nearby Veneto region (north-east), “All alpine rescue teams in the area have been mobilized”, including dog units. The glacier collapsed near the town of Punta Roca along the route normally taken to reach its summit.
Footage from a shelter near the disaster shows snow mixed with rock rolling down the mountainside with the sound of a crash. Other pictures taken by tourists on their cellphones show the gray tongue of the avalanche in the distance sweeping away everything in its path and leaving no chance for climbers in its path.
“It’s a miracle we’re alivesaid engineer Stefano Dal Moro, who was on the glacier with an Israeli friend. “There was a thump and just then the sea of ice broke. Running is no use, all you can do is pray“, he told Corriere della Sera.
The hard work of rescuers
Footage from a shelter near the disaster shows snow mixed with rocks rolling down the mountainside with the sound of crashing. Other pictures taken by tourists on their cellphones show the avalanche’s gray tongue in the distance, sweeping away everything in its path and leaving no chance for climbers in its path.
In the images transmitted by the Alpine Rescue Service, we can see rescuers working near the disaster site flying helicopters to transport victims in the valley to the village of Kanazei, not far from where the cable car leaves. to the top of the glacier. The work of the rescuers was particularly difficult, because they had to remove the bodies from the ice mixed with the rock, where they were. A cell of psychologists was also activated to help the relatives of the victims. The State Prosecutor’s Office of Trento has launched an investigation to find out the causes of this tragedy.
According to scientist Renato Colucci, “the extreme heat of the last few days (…) probably caused large amounts of liquid water to melt from the glacier and accumulate at the base of the block.which then collapsed due to lack of support. Marmolada Glacier, nicknamedQueen of the DolomitesIt is the largest glacier in this mountain range in northern Italy, which is part of the Alps. Located in Trentino, it gives birth to the river Avisio and overlooks Lake Fedaia.
The reason: global warming
Melting ice and snow is one of the top ten threats posed by global warming, disrupting ecosystems and threatening certain infrastructures, according to an IPCC report released on March 1.
According to the IPCC, glaciers in Scandinavia, Central Europe and the Caucasus could lose 60-80% of their mass by the end of the century. In Lapland, the traditional life of people like the Sami, who practice reindeer herding, is already disrupted. Melting permafrost in Canada and Russia is hampering economic activity.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.