July 4, 2022 22:28
At least seven people were killed in a massive avalanche in the Alps region of Italy, as rescue services said hope of finding survivors was fading.
Today, Monday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi attributed the cause of the collapse to climate change. The Italian authorities reported that eight people were injured and 14 missing, warning that there was no specific figure yet for the number of climbers who were at the disaster site when the collapse occurred on Sunday.
Maurizio Fogatti, head of the province of Trento, said the ice blocks and rocks that collapsed from Mount Marmolada, the highest in the Dolomites in the Italian Alps, reached 300 kilometers per hour.
The head of the Alpine Rescue Service, Giorgio Gager, was quoted by the AKI news agency as saying that rescuers used thermal drones capable of sensing the heat of potential survivors, although the chances of finding them ranged from “very low to none”.
Rescue worker Gino Comelli pointed out that the bodies, which have been found so far, are “remains”.
The disaster occurred a day after a record temperature of 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded on the summit of the glacier, the largest in the Italian Alps range.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi stated that “without a doubt, it is linked to the deterioration of the environment and the climate situation.”
Source: agencies
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