Picture courtesy of Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico

 

An avalanche in Italy’s Dolomite mountains has claimed the lives of five German climbers, including a father and his 17-year-old daughter. Rescuers reported that the climbers, divided into separate groups, were ascending Cima Vertana in the Ortler Alps when they were struck by a swift-moving avalanche around 16:00 local time on Saturday.

 

Italy’s Alpine rescue service, Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico, confirmed that a group of three climbers was swept away entirely by the avalanche and did not survive. In a separate incident, the father and daughter were also carried away by the avalanche, with their bodies recovered on Sunday. Fortunately, two climbers from another party survived and were able to raise the alarm, initiating the rescue efforts.

 

Olaf Reinstadler, a spokesperson for the Sulden Mountain Rescue Service, suggested to German media that the avalanche’s trigger may have been recent unstable snow drifts. He questioned the timing of the climb, noting that while the weather was suitable, the late afternoon ascent risked a descent into nightfall., reported BBC.

 

Efforts to recover the bodies on Saturday were halted due to diminishing light and poor safety conditions. The attempt resumed on Sunday morning, with initial fog and low visibility preventing helicopter deployment. Once conditions improved, rescuers and avalanche dogs were flown to a height of 2,600 metres, where they continued their search on foot. By late morning, they located the bodies of the father and daughter.

 

 

Key Takeaways:

 

• Five German climbers have died in an avalanche in Italy's Dolomites.
• A group of three was swept away; a father and daughter died separately.
• Rescue operations faced delays due to poor visibility and fading light.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-11-03

 

 

Good grief. You don't have to be a mountaineer to see that climbing on that structure in photo would be very high risk.

There are very high amounts of new snow in parts of the alps. Always a bad idea to go up at this time.

In my life, I've climbed a bit on rock, snow, and ice.  The deadliest of the three is snow, because of its complex unpredictability.  I will never forget the surprise, shock and horror as I looked up to see all that mass of snow coming at us, in an area not known for a avalanches.  My wife and I were swept off the climb but were lucky enough to walk away at the bottom.