Five German mountaineers die in northern Italy after being hit by avalanche

Rescuers prepare (Corpo Nazionale Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico via AP)

Five German mountaineers died after being hit by an avalanche in South Tyrol, in northern Italy, rescuers said on Sunday.

Three victims — two men and a woman — had already been recovered on Saturday, while the bodies of two other missing people, a man and his 17-year-old daughter, were found on Sunday morning.

“They had been dragged to the lower part of the gully where the avalanche occurred,” said Alpine rescue spokesman Federico Catania.

“Rescue teams are now returning to the valley, also considering the worsening weather conditions at high altitude.”

The mountaineers, all Germans, were hit by the avalanche at about 4pm on Saturday while climbing near the Cima Vertana, in the Ortles mountains, at an altitude of more than 3,500 metres.

It is unknown why the climbers were still on their way up at this relatively late hour, rescuers said.

According to initial information, the climbers were in three groups and were travelling independently of each other. Two men survived the accident and were taken by helicopter to a hospital in the near city of Bolzano.

South Tyrol is a popular region for mountaineering among tourists from Germany. The region’s highest peak is Ortles, which rises to 3,905 metres.

Avalanche accidents are a persistent issue in the Italian Alps, with the country registering one of the higher 10-year average annual death tolls among major ski nations. Victims are frequently ski mountaineers or freeriders.

Some analysis suggests that the number of accidents has increased in recent years possibly due to more people heading to backcountry areas immediately after fresh snowfall.