A total of 15 people are missing after the accident. So far, eight bodies have been recovered and another eight people have been injured. Two Germans are in mortal danger.
Among the 15 missing after the Glacier break on the Marmolada (Marmolada) in the Italian Dolomites is also an Austrian. The person concerned is one of the foreign wanted persons, but the majority are Italians, the rescue units said. It is assumed that the Austrian was not at the scene of the accident. As long as there is no contact, however, he is considered missing. Eight bodies have been recovered so far.
Another eight people were injured, two Germans are in mortal danger in the intensive care unit of the Belluno hospital, it was said on Monday afternoon. Four victims had been identified by Monday morning. These are three Italians, including two mountain guides from the Veneto region, and one Czech.
Identification of the dead could take longer
According to the rescue units, the chance of finding survivors is very low. The entire area around the glacier has been closed to the public. The search for the missing continued on Monday using drones and some rescue units. If the weather conditions worsen as feared, the search operation would have to be interrupted, the mountain rescuers said.
The identification of the fatalities could take longer, autopsies are likely to be necessary. The bodies recovered are marred by ice, rocks and debris, making it difficult to determine the exact death toll. For this reason, DNA tests are provided: the genetic data is compared with that of family members and relatives.
“Little hope of finding missing alive”
Controls on the roads of the Fedaia Pass and in the parking lots around the Fedaia Lake, from where the hiking trails to the Marmolada start, revealed that the owners of several vehicles could not yet be reached. Thus, the carabinieri and the rescuers try to identify the missing climbers by comparing the number plates with the bookings of the accommodations in the area.
“At the moment we don’t know if the cars belong to the dead or missing. We will find out today from the reports that will reach us,” said Trentino President Maurizio Fugatti. Checks are also carried out on the side of the mountain in the province of Belluno, since people may have climbed from this slope as well. “We have little hope of finding the missing alive,” said the head of Trentino’s civil defense, Raffaele De Col. “The number of victims will increase,” emphasized Trentino’s governor Maurizio Fugatti.
Eight injured
Eight injured people are in the hospitals of the cities of Belluno, Treviso and Trento. Two Germans, a 58-year-old and a 67-year-old, are in the intensive care unit in Belluno. Another injured person who is in the hospital in Belluno could not be identified.
The mass detached from the Marmolada glacier fell at least 500 meters at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour on two roped teams of mountaineers, Alpine rescue experts reported. The detached mass extends over a two kilometer long front at an altitude of about 2800 meters.
High temperatures as a possible cause
Experts suspect that the high temperatures of the past few weeks could be responsible for the accident. On Sunday, a maximum temperature of 16.8 degrees was reported at a measuring station at an altitude of 2606 meters in the Marmolada group. On June 20, even 17.7 degrees were registered.
On Saturday, a temperature record of ten degrees was measured at the summit of the Marmolada, the average temperature in recent years was around seven. The Marmolada Glacier is the largest in the Dolomites and is located on the north side of the Marmolada Group. This is in the provinces of Trento and Belluno.
Pope prays for families
The Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived Monday morning in the village of Canazei, where the operations center is located. Draghi, who wants to personally inquire about the search for the missing, met Italian civil defense chief Fabrizio Curcio and the president of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia. He visited the hall in Canazei where the bodies of the six dead are kept. The Italian head of state Sergio Mattarella phoned the Trentino governor Fugatti and condoled the family members of the victims.
Pope Francis also mourns the victims of the accident and prays for their families. “The tragedies we are witnessing because of climate change must push us to urgently find new ways, respecting people and nature,” the Holy Father tweeted.
(APA)