Avalanche kills two hikers in Italian Alps with one pushed into freezing lake

07 January 2024 , 22:46

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The bodies of two hikers have been found in the Italian Alps, closeby to Switzerland (Image: Getty Images)

The bodies of two hikers have been found in the Italian Alps, close to Switzerland. The pair were struck by an avalanche, at approximately 12pm on Sunday.

The force of the avalanche pushed the victims into a lake closeby, near the bottom of the slope. Another body was identified buried in the snow, Italy 's alpine rescue service stated.

A search operation was set up after guards at a nearby dike stated seeing the avalanche hit two hikers, authorities stated. A search on foot did not identify the hikers, leading to the use of a helicopter.

Despite intense winds, a helicopter could lower the rescue team, helped by a dog unit. Local media has reported that a 30-year-old woman and a man aged 53 from the northern region of Lombardy died in the tragedy.

The force of the avalanche pushed the victims into a lake closeby (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The rescue team stated that the victims were wearing snowshoes, and the avalanche hit at a 2,200m (7,200ft) level in Formazza Valley in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy.

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Last month, in December, a British mother and son and died in an avalanche on the French Alps while skiing off -piste. The 54-year-old woman and her son, aged 22, were part of a family group who were skiing on Mont Blanc while being supervised by a ski instructor who they are believed to have known for several years.

The instructor, wearing an avalanche beacon, was unharmed despite being completely buried alongside the two Brits who perished. Poor weather has led to treacherous conditions, with a hiker also tragically dying on another slope in the French Alps, according to local authorities.

Dozens of mountain rescuers set out to search for the trapped skiers by the Mont-Joly chairlift, finding the man and a women dead and one person injured, while rescuing five others including the husband of the female victim.

Charlie Duffield