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Police: 6 backcountry skiers dead in Italian Alps avalanche Police: 6 backcountry skiers dead in Italian Alps avalanche
(about 2 hours later)
MILAN — Six backcountry skiers died Saturday in an avalanche in the Italian Alps, others were rescued and emergency workers were still looking for more possible victims, authorities said. MILAN — An avalanche struck high in the Italian Alps on Saturday, killing six backcountry skiers as others looked on in horror as a swath of snow hundreds of meters wide cascaded down.
Helicopters were flying to the remote location — above 3,000 meters (9,840 feet) on Monte Nevoso — as search-and-operations continued at the site. Monte Nevoso is 3,358 meters (11,017 feet) high in the Alto Adige region of Italy near the Austrian border. Helicopters ferried both the survivors and the bodies back to the valley floor from the avalanche site, located just hundreds of meters (yards) shy of Monte Nevoso’s 3,358-meter (11,017-foot) peak. The mountain is not far from the Austrian border in Italy’s Alto Adige region.
Rafael Kostner, the head of the rescue operation, told the news agency ANSA that dogs were flown up to the avalanche site to search for other victims and that some survivors had been brought back down along with the bodies of victims. He did not have an exact number for the survivors. The dead were among a group of expert backcountry skiers climbing above tree line to the mountain crest and then skiing down. The cause of the midday avalanche was not immediately known.
The dead were among a group of backcountry skiers who climb above tree line to the mountain crest and then ski down. It was not clear how many were in the group or what triggered the avalanche. Police in Bolzano and Brunico confirmed the deaths while the news agency ANSA, quoting rescuers, said one other person was injured in the avalanche and eight others survived unharmed. It said the group included Austrians and Italians.
The high altitude and the number of people involved were complicating the rescue, Kostner said. Financial police Brig. Albert Castlunger said the survivors had summoned rescuers, who responded with three helicopters and dozens of search-and-rescue workers who used poles and rescue dogs to probe the snow for more possible victims.
“The helicopters are having difficulty safely reaching altitudes above 3,000 meters,” Kostner was quoted as saying. “Therefore, they fly with very little fuel and all unnecessary gear is left on the ground.” The high altitude and the number of people involved complicated the rescue, Rafael Kostner, the head of the rescue operation, told ANSA.
“The helicopters are having difficulty safely reaching altitudes above 3,000 meters,” Kostner said. “They fly with very little fuel and all unnecessary gear is left on the ground.”
Bolzano province’s avalanche report forecast the avalanche risk for Saturday as moderate, a two on a scale of 1-to-5. It said avalanches were possible on leeward slopes near ridges with the risk rising throughout the day.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.