Rescuers have recovered body parts in the search for missing hikers after a powerful avalanche killed at least seven people in Italy.
Officials initially feared 13 hikers were still missing on the Marmolada Glacier, east of Bolzano in the Dolomite Mountains, but the province of Trento reduced the number to five after eight others checked with authorities.
Rain hampered search efforts on Mondaybut Tuesday’s sunny weather allowed helicopters to transport more rescue crews to the site – although hopes of finding anyone alive are dwindling.
A large portion of the glacier fell on Sunday, triggering an avalanche that sent large amounts of ice, rock and debris plow down the mountainside onto unsuspecting hikers below.
Officials said At least seven people were killed.
“We have to be clear, finding someone alive with this type of event is a very, very remote possibility, because of the mechanical impact of the type of event,” said Alex Barattin of the Alpine Rescue Service. This avalanche has a huge impact on people. .
Photos taken during the site survey by helicopter show a hole in the glacier.
The terrain was still unstable so rescue crews stepped aside and used drones to look for any survivors or signs of life while the helicopter searched casually, with several uses. Use the device to detect cell phone ping.
Two rescuers remained at the scene overnight, although they were joined by more rescuers on Tuesday morning.
A view taken from the Punta Rocca glacier rescue helicopter near Canazei. Photo: AP
Maurizio Dellantonio, national president of the Alpine Rescue Service, said teams had found body parts, hiking equipment and clothing on the debris, evidence of the strong impact of the battle. avalanche.
“We’ve found a lot of debris in the last two days. They’re very painful for the people who pick them up. And then the people who have to analyze them,” he said.
“Personally, I can only think that what we find on the surface will be the same as what we find below, when the ice melts, or by digging, if given the opportunity.”
Officials have closed all access routes and lifts to the glacier for hikers because of concerns about continued instability and the possibility that more ice sheets could split.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who visited the rescue base in Canazei on Monday, acknowledged the avalanche was predictable but the tragedy “definitely depends on the deterioration of the climate situation”. .
Italy is currently experiencing an early summer heatwave, along with the worst drought in the north in 70 years. Experts say there has been an unusually small amount of snowfall during the winter, leaving glaciers in the Italian Alps subjected to summer heat and melting.
