Two people died and at least seven were injured after an avalanche swept up 10 people in Val Ridanna, South Tyrol, in Italy as a major rescue operation unfolded on Saturday, Italian outlet La Presse reported.
The Context
The deadly avalanche in northern Italy occurred during a season of heightened avalanche risk across the Alps, where multiple countries reported fatalities and elevated danger levels.
Val Ridanna, South Tyrol is about 180 miles northwest of Venice, and about 20 miles south of the Italy Austria border.
Visitors have been warned about the risk of avalanches in the region, following a deadly week that saw 11 people killed in February.
What To Know
The avalanche struck near Racines on Cima d’Incendio at about 8,020 feet, at around 11:40 a.m. local time, with five helicopters dispatched to support search-and-rescue teams at the scene, according to La Presse.
Authorities said three of the injured suffered serious trauma and two others sustained minor injuries, while all members of the group carried avalanche transceivers that aided rescuers.
Alpine rescue teams, Italy’s Guardia di Finanza, and coordination centers in Innsbruck were involved, and intensive-care beds were requested in Merano, Bolzano and Bressanone hospitals as operations continued.
Earlier in the season, Italy’s Alpine rescue service warned that fresh snowfall over unstable layers created conditions where “even the movement of a single skier can trigger an avalanche,” calling for “maximum caution” across most of the Alpine arc.
The advisory followed 11 avalanche-related deaths in seven days, Reuters reported.
The U.S. State Department, via several embassies, warned Americans of elevated avalanche hazards this winter in parts of Switzerland, Austria and France, noting areas at “Danger Level 3” and “Danger Level 4” on the European avalanche scale.
The U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein cited MeteoSwiss data for high risk in Valais and Graubünden, while the U.S. Embassy in Austria flagged large regions of Tyrol and Vorarlberg at Level 4 and others at Level 3, The Travel reported.
How Many Deadly Avalanches Have Occurred This Season?
Austria recorded at least 21 avalanche-related deaths this winter, according to a summary of U.S. embassy warnings reported by The Travel.
In Italy, authorities and international media reported a cluster of fatalities in February that included 11 deaths in seven days and 10 avalanche deaths within a single week, according to multiple outlets.
What Happens Next
Rescue operations in Val Ridanna continued Saturday with air support and Alpine rescue teams on the ground.
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