At least six people died and eight others were injured after an ice avalanche hit the Italian Alps on Sunday, local officials said, as emergency workers combed Marmolada Mountain for at least 19 missing hikers. Italy’s National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps said five helicopters and dog units had been deployed to the area, although it expressed concern that more snow, ice and rocks could fall. Among the missing are 11 Italians, four Czech nationals, three Romanians and a French national, local news agency ANSA reported on Monday. On July 4, rescue operations continued in the Italian Alps after parts of a mountain glacier collapsed, killing at least six people and injuring eight. (Video: Reuters) The landslide occurred during an early heat wave that saw temperatures reach about 50 degrees Fahrenheit in Marmolada in recent days. The rescue team said the heat was “unusual”, the Guardian newspaper reported. Experts have long warned that avalanches are becoming more common as global temperatures rise, saying that warming could destabilize mountain climates and accelerate the melting of glaciers. “Fortunately the weather conditions are good, but the risk is that there will be further collapses,” a spokesman told Reuters as Italian state television reported that rescuers had seen dead bodies next to “huge chunks of ice”. The glacier collapse happened near Punta Rocca, a route used by climbers to reach the summit, Veneto regional governor Luca Zaia said as the Alpine rescue unit shared an emergency number people could call if loved ones the persons did not return from excursions in the area. Incredible helicopter footage of the mountain rescue of the main detachment in Marmolada. Water lubrication in the base (or interstrata) and increased pressure in water filled cracks are probably the main causes for this catastrophic event pic.twitter.com/2OXRExkdjy — Alpine-Adriatic Meteorological Society (@aametsoc) July 3, 2022 Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi expressed his condolences and thanked emergency workers. Officials estimated Monday that up to 16 people may have been swept away by the collapse. Marmolada, which rises to around 11,000 feet, is the highest peak in the eastern Dolomites – a UNESCO World Heritage Site estimated to be over 200 million years old. Marmolada is referred to as the “Queen of the Dolomites”, an area popular with nature and adventure lovers. A report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this year outlined the devastating effects of climate change, including the irreversible loss of glaciers by the end of this century. “Mountain areas have always been affected by either too much or too little water,” the report said. “Because of climate change, risks are changing rapidly and becoming even more unpredictable.” The increased risk of such hazards is forcing highland populations to relocate, leading to mass displacement in countries such as Thailand, Afghanistan and Peru. Italian officials said the injured were being treated at hospitals in the cities of Belluno, Treviso, Trento and Bolzano, Reuters reported. Mountain glaciers may have less ice than estimated, straining fresh water supplies
