Catastrophic avalanche in the Alps kills many people

According to Reuters news agency, at noon on July 3 (local time), a large icicles on the top of Marmolada in the Dolomites mountain in the Italian Alps broke and slid down the mountainside, killing at least 6 people and 9 others. injured.

The accident happened on the top of Marmolada, at an altitude of more than 3,300m. It is the highest peak in the Dolomites, in the Alps, in eastern Italy and stretches across the province of Trento and the Veneto region.

According to rescuers, the icefall sent a mass of ice, snow and rocks down where a large number of people were climbing. This is the mountain trail that attracts many visitors to the top of Marmolada.

Veneto Governor Luca Zaia said the injured were taken to hospitals in nearby towns and cities such as Belluno, Treviso, Trento and Bolzano.

The site of the iceberg collapse on Mount Marmolada, Italy.

The Trento provincial government said it was continuing the rescue operation. Helicopters and sniffer dogs were also sent to search for missing victims. Gianpaolo Bottacin, an official with the local civil protection agency, said there must be as many as 15 people still missing.

On the evening of July 3, the national rescue force posted on Twitter the phone number for relatives or friends to report the case of the climbers who had not returned. The search had to be stopped at night because of fears that more glaciers would separate from the summit.

Rescuers also compared the number plates in the parking lot to determine the number of people who may be missing. However, Mr. Walter Milan - representative of the rescue force - said the process could take many hours.

"Fortunately the weather conditions are good, but the danger is still possible," he said.

The site of the iceberg collapse on Mount Marmolada, Italy.

It is not yet clear what caused part of the icicles to fall off the mountain, but according to Milan, the heat shock that has continued to sweep across Italy since late June until now may be the cause.

'Extraordinary heat is happening. The temperature in the past few days on the top of Marmolada has increased to 10 degrees Celsius. This is a terrible temperature for the mountain, "- Mr. Milan said.

The problem of climate change and global warming has caused the ice column at the top of Marmolada, like many other glaciers in the world, to shrink in recent decades.