Fire brigade, police and mountain rescue continue to search for casualties in the Dolomites. They, too, put themselves at risk when they are deployed.
After the deadly glacier collapse on the Marmolada in northern Italy, the rescue workers continued the search for possible victims on Friday. No other bodies were discovered, as Maurizio Fugatti, the regional president of Trentino-Alto Adige, announced in the evening.
This left ten dead after the accident in the Dolomites, six of whom have been identified. Five people were reported missing by relatives. Should four of them be among the dead, one person would remain who could still be under the ice and rubble masses.
Search first with humans, then with drones
In the early morning, 14 men and women from the fire brigade, police and mountain rescue service and two dogs were flown to the accident area, according to the Autonomous Province of Trento. They were then deployed until the temperatures rose during the course of the day and the risk of further chunks of glacier breaking off became too great. From that point on, the search on the mountain flank was continued with drones.
Monitoring systems from Switzerland also controlled possible movements on the approximately two-kilometer-long glacier mass. In the next few days, the search for this scheme will take place, as has been announced. Saturday is observed in the area as a day of mourning to commemorate the victims.
Meanwhile, specialists from the Carabinieri continue to work on clarifying the identity of the as yet unknown victims. The missing are all Italians. Among the identified fatalities are four Italians and two Czechs. Eight people were also injured in the accident, including a man and a woman from Germany.
Experts attribute the cause of the accident to the consequences of climate change. The unusually high temperatures in the area may have resulted in meltwater undermining the glacial portion and dislodging it from the rock.
