Casualties and missing persons in an avalanche in the Italian Alps
At least six people were killed and more than a dozen others missing on Sunday when an ice shelf collapsed amid higher-than-normal temperatures in northern Italy.
The collapse occurred a day after a record high temperature was recorded in the Veneto region, where the temperature above sea level in some parts of the region exceeded 40 degrees Celsius.
According to regional officials, temperatures over the top of Marmolada reached about 10 degrees Celsius.
Typically, temperatures remain below freezing (0°C) throughout the year at the highest peaks of the Alps.
In addition to the reported dead and missing, at least eight people were injured, including one in critical condition, according to Gianpaolo Bottasin, regional civil protection adviser in Veneto, the region that includes the Italian city of Venice canal.
The Marmolada is 3,343 meters above sea level, making it one of the highest mountains in the rocky Dolomites in Italy.
The tragedy occurred at about 1:45 pm local time when the glacier in the Punto Roca glacier collapsed, causing a landslide of snow, ice and rocks that swept through multiple groups of mountaineers and hikers.
The authorities expected the possibility of more landslides in the area.
The injured were taken to nearby hospitals in the cities of Belluno, Treviso, Trento and Bolzano.
Rescuers are using helicopters, sniffer dogs and advanced global positioning technology to help locate the dead, injured and missing.
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