Italian Alps avalanche: Six skiers confirmed dead as search continues for more bodies

Jamie Bullen12 March 2016

Six skiers have died and a number are missing after an avalanche in the Italian Alps.

The avalanche struck at an altitude of more than 3,000 metres on Saturday on Monte Nevoso in South Tyrol, near the Austrian border.

A fire department spokeswoman said the bodies of four Italian citizens have been recovered and two others have yet to be identified.

An injured Austrian woman was being treated in hospital in Brunico while two others caught in the snowslide managed to free themselves without injury.

A search operation for more bodies was today being carried out by three helicopters, specially trained dogs, firefighters and more than 70 alpine rescuers.

The spokeswoman said: “We know there were several groups in the same area, which is why we are still searching.

“We don't know yet if everyone has been accounted for."

Police said conditions were sunny and windy and heavy snowfall in recent weeks.

The cause of the avalanche remains unknown but it has emerged there was a “marked” risk in the area at the time.

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