Seven people killed by avalanches in northern Italy

SEVEN people have been killed by avalanches in northern Italy.

The victims included two tourists who had gone missing in the Italian Alps and four rescuers who had been looking for them, according to the ANSA news agency.

The two had gone missing on Saturday afternoon while mountain climbing in the Trentino Alto Adige region.

In a separate incident in the same region, rescue and Carabinieri police officials said a 14-year-old from Germany was hit by an avalanche when he was skiing with his brother and a friend in the town of Silandro.