The incident happened at Val Ridanna, a high-altitude valley in Italy
A major rescue operation took place after an avalanche killed two people and left three seriously injured. The incident happened at Val Ridanna, a high-altitude valley in South Tyrol, Italy, shortly before 11.40am local time on March 20.
Ten people, all of whom were reportedly equipped with Arva avalanche transceivers, were swept away, according to Italian news agency LaPresse. Out of the eight survivors seven were injured, three seriously and two lightly, reports Mirror.
Reportedly the snow mass broke away in the Racines area on Cima d’Incendio at 2,445 metres, the rescue operation involved five helicopters. The Innsbruck operations centre was alerted, and requests for intensive care beds were reportedly made at hospitals in Merano, Bolzano and Bressanone.
The Guardia di Finanza and all local Alpine rescue teams were on site. Last week, a report from the Austrian Alpine Club revealed that all but two of Austria’s 96 glaciers have retreated over the last two years, saying the “dramatic development” highlights the impact of climate change.
The reports shows the Alpeiner Ferner in the western Tyrol region and Stubacher Sonnblickkees in Salzburg to the east are facing the greatest loss, each with a retreat of more than 330 feet. The average retreat was more than 65 feet.
“The disintegration of the glacier tongue is also progressing at the Pasterze, Austria’s largest glacier, making the consequences of climate change visible,” the club said in the report covering 2024 and 2025. The report, it added, “confirms once again the long-term trend: Glaciers in Austria continue to shrink significantly in length, area, and volume”.
The retreat of glaciers in Europe has vast implications for drinking water, power generation, agriculture, infrastructure, recreational activities, the Alpine landscape and more. Neighbouring Switzerland, which is home to the most glaciers in Europe, has noted a similar retreat in its glaciers in recent years, a trend that has been reported around the world.
Poor weather conditions including low snowfall, warm temperatures including an exceptionally hot June last year – nearly 5C above the average – have contributed to the retreat, the club said.
“The glaciers are melting – and with every new report, the urgency grows, club vice president Nicole Slupetzky said. “It’s no longer a question of whether we can still save the glaciers in their old form; it’s about mitigating the consequences for ourselves.”
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