A huge block broke off from the Marmolada glacier in the northern Italian Alps on Sunday July 3, killing at least five people and injuring eight, the emergency services said.
A relief spokeswoman, Michela Canova, spoke to Agence France-Presse about a “still provisional assessment”.
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Two injured were taken to hospital in Belluno, a more serious one in Treviso, and five in Trento, she said, without giving details of the nationality of the victims. Several helicopters were deployed on the spot to take part in the rescue operations and to monitor the situation.
“An avalanche of snow, ice and rock which in its path hit the access road when several ropes were there, some of which were swept away”she explained. “The definitive number of mountaineers involved is not yet known. »
The Marmolada Glacier is the largest glacier in the Dolomites. It gives birth to the Avisio River and overlooks Lake Fedaia.