Glacier in Italy’s Alps near Trento, a large part of which broke off, killing at least six pedestrians
Highlight
- Two of the hospitalized survivors are in critical condition
- Experts say that the glacier will not last in the next 25-30 years
- The Mediterranean basin has been identified by UN experts as a “climate change hot spot”.
Fall of Italy Glacier: A large section of an alpine glacier broke off on Sunday and fell down a mountain in Italy, killing at least six climbers and injuring nine others. The incident slammed snow, ice and rock into pedestrians on a popular route to the peak. Officials said the death toll could rise and as many as 15 people could be missing.
Officials said two of the hospitalized survivors were in critical condition.
Rescuers were checking license plates in the parking lot as part of the checking to determine how many people may be unaccounted for, a process that could take hours.
The glacier in the Marmolada range is the largest of the Dolomite Mountains in northeastern Italy and people ski there in winter. However, glaciers have been melting rapidly in recent years.
Experts from Italy’s state-run CNR Research Center with the Institute of Polar Sciences say the glacier will no longer exist in the next 25-30 years and that much of its volume has already been lost.
The Mediterranean basin, shared by southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has been identified by UN experts as a “climate change hot spot”, likely to suffer from heat waves and water shortages, among other consequences.
Local online media reported that the fast-moving avalanche “came down with a roar that could be heard from afar.”
Rescuers said snowflakes were falling continuously.
It was not immediately clear what caused the ice block to break off and move down the slope of the peak, but a severe heat wave in Italy from late June emerged as a likely factor.
(with inputs from AP)