Several helicopters were deployed on the spot to take part in the rescue operations and monitor the evolution of the situation. Indeed, this collapse occurred the day after a record temperature at the top of the glacier, ten degrees.
According to Renato Colucci, a glacier specialist quoted by the Italian agency AGI, this phenomenon “is bound to repeat itself”, because “for weeks the temperatures at altitude in the Alps have been well beyond normal values”.
The relief spokeswoman described “an avalanche of snow, ice and rock which in its path hit the access road when several roped parties were there, some of which were swept away”. “The definitive number of mountaineers involved is not yet known”she added.
According to the civil protection department of the nearby Veneto region (north-east), “all the alpine rescue teams in the area have been mobilized”, including canine units.
The glacier collapsed near the locality of Punta Rocca, along the route normally taken to reach its summit.