Avalanche in Italian Alps leaves six people dead
Snow engulfed group climbing Monte Nevoso, close to Italy’s border with Austria, at about 3,000 metres
An avalanche struck high in the Italian Alps on Saturday, killing six skiers and injuring another as a swath of snow hundreds of meters wide cascaded down.
Helicopters ferried survivors and the bodies back to the valley floor from the avalanche site, located not far below Monte Nevoso’s peak. The mountain is close to the Austrian border in Italy’s Alto Adige region.
The dead were among a group of backcountry skiers climbing above the tree line to the mountain crest and then skiing down.
The victims included five Italian nationals, one of whom was 16, and an Austrian woman. They were among a group of 15 people who were very close to the summit of Monte Nevosowhen the avalanche hit in the late morning. The others escaped unharmed, despite earlier reports that several had been injured.