Father and daughter among five dead in Italy avalanche

Rome: Five German mountaineers have died after being hit by an avalanche in South Tyrol, in northern Italy, rescuers say, including a man and his 17-year-old daughter.

Three victims – two men and a woman – had already been recovered dead on Saturday, while the father and daughter were found on Sunday morning (Italian time).

The site of the avalanche on the Cima Vertana summit, shown in a photo released by the Italian Alpine and Speleological Rescue CorpsCredit: AP

“They had been dragged to the lower part of the gully where the avalanche occurred,” said Alpine rescue spokesman Federico Catania. “Rescue teams are now returning to the valley, also considering the worsening weather conditions at high altitude.”

The mountaineers were hit by the avalanche about 4pm on Saturday (2am on Sunday AEDT) while climbing near the Cima Vertana in the Ortles mountains, at an altitude of more than 3500 metres. It is unknown why the climbers were still on their way up at this relatively late hour, rescuers said.

According to initial information, the climbers were in three groups and were travelling independently of each other. Two men survived the accident and were taken by helicopter to a hospital in the nearby city of Bolzano.

A search and rescue helicopter was sent to find the missing climbers.Credit: AP

South Tyrol is a popular region for mountaineering among tourists from Germany. The region’s highest peak is Ortles, which rises to 3905 metres.

Avalanches are a persistent issue in the Italian Alps, with the country registering one of the highest 10-year average annual death tolls among major ski nations. Victims are frequently ski mountaineers or freeriders.

Some analysis suggests that the number of accidents has increased in recent years, possibly due to more people heading to more isolated areas immediately after fresh snowfall.

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