An avalanche in high alpine terrain in Italy's South Tyrol on Saturday killed two skiers, according to the country’s mountain rescue service.
The avalanche happened at an altitude of around 7,874 feet on the slopes of the 8,757-foot Hohe Ferse (also known as Monte Tallone Grande) near the town of Ratschings, close to the border with Austria.
The CNSAS rescue service’s Bolzano emergency center reported that 25 skiers were caught in the avalanche. Besides the two dead, three were seriously injured and two lightly injured, it said.
The avalanche took place at 11:40 a.m. local time (1040 GMT). A rescue operation involved six helicopters and around 80 rescuers from CNSAS, the Alpine Association, police and firefighters, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
This season has seen an unusually high number of death from avalanches. European Avalanche Warning Services reports in its website avalanches.org that fatalities average 100 per season. As of March 16, reported deaths this season starting Oct. 1 were at 127, including 33 in Italy, 31 in France and 29 in Austria.
In early February, just as Italy was hosting the Winter Olympics, a record 13 skiers had died on the slopes during one week, including 10 in avalanches.
Experts attributed the deaths to an exceptionally unstable snowpack and the rush of skiing enthusiasts to off-piste slopes after recent heavy snowstorms.
Climate experts have argued that snow instability is due to rising temperatures and stronger winds.
