Five German mountaineers were killed on Saturday when an early-season avalanche struck the Alps in northern Italy, the Italian Alpine rescue organization said.<\/p>\n
The climbers were part of two separate groups ascending near the Cima Vertana, one of the highest mountains in the Eastern Alps, when they were swept away by an avalanche on Saturday evening, said Federico Catania, a spokesman for the rescue organization, which is known as C.N.S.A.S., its Italian abbreviation.<\/p>\n
Avalanche accidents have been an ongoing issue in the Alps of Italy, where the country has one of the higher 10-year average annual death tolls among ski nations, according to The Associated Press.<\/a> Avalanches in the Alps can take place at any time of year with the right snow and weather conditions, Mr. Catania said.<\/p>\n He added that the most active periods are generally from November to December as snow first accumulates on unfrozen or uneven ground, leading to unstable layers. Other busy periods, he said, are in January and February and spring from March to May, when higher temperatures and solar radiation can cause wet snow avalanches.<\/p>\n Three climbers in one group were confirmed dead on Saturday evening, Mr. Catania said in an email. The other group consisted of four climbers, two of whom survived. The other two, a man and his 17-year-old daughter, were found dead in a gully on Sunday.<\/p>\n Rescuers deployed almost immediately after the avalanche struck but faced challenging conditions as they worked to recover the climbers, Mr. Catania said, and they paused the search overnight.<\/p>\n Darkness and fog prevented helicopters from flying in the area early Sunday, he said. Teams of rescuers and avalanche dogs were eventually dropped at altitude on Sunday after conditions cleared, and they continued their search on foot.<\/p>\n The teams were working to recover and transport the bodies of the father and daughter on Sunday amid difficult weather, Mr. Catania said.<\/p>\n Avalanches killed at least 11 people in Italy in the 2024-25 winter season, according to the European Avalanche Warning Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n