Two hikers were killed by an avalanche that broke out just before midday in the Piedmontese Formazza valley (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola), in the area of Lake Toggia, at an altitude of 2,200 metres, near the border with Switzerland. The victims, Vanessa Gatti, 30 years old, from Saronno and Roberto Biancon, 53 years old from Legnano, were hiking with snowshoes when they were hit by the mass of snow. In the area the risk of avalanches was “marked”, equal to level 3 on the European scale which reaches a maximum of 5.
The weather conditions were difficult also due to the strong wind. Alpine Rescue reminds us of the risks of excursions: “The beginning of 2024 – says national councilor Pini Giostra in a video – was characterized by snowfall and strong wind activity. Avalanches can also be triggered by the passage of a skier or snowshoer only. Maximum attention must therefore be paid when choosing the itinerary and the complete equipment of probe, shovel and ARTVA device must always be carried with you, for identifying people caught in avalanches”.
The alarm was raised by the guardians of the Toggia lake dam, who saw what happened firsthand and reported two people involved in the avalanche. They themselves, as Alpine and Speleological Rescue technicians, were the first to go to the site of the avalanche, looking for the Artva signal. The initial searches, however, had negative results because, according to what the rescuers reported, the two hikers were without the device. The technician and the mountain rescue avalanche dog unit arrived at the site of the avalanche, transported by the Azienda Zero Piemonte helicopter rescue team, and continued the search, managing to locate the bodies despite the difficulty of the strong wind at high altitude. : the first body was under the snow, the second, thanks to the report of the avalanche dog, was identified inside the lake.
The fire brigade’s diving team was involved in recovering the body immersed in the freezing water. Last September 24, the locality of Formazza, where today’s avalanche occurred, was the scene of another fatal accident in the mountains: two hikers, originally from the province of Novara, were overwhelmed and killed by a large landslide near the not far from Lake Sabbione.
For further information Photo Agency ANSA Bad weather: Civil Protection, still strong winds in the South The large depression that is affecting Italy tomorrow will tend to move from the Tyrrhenian Sea towards the east, still causing intense winds from the western quadrants on the extreme southern regions.
However, two boys aged 10 and 11 years old were saved after they were hit by an avalanche in Alto Adige while they were going off-piste in Racines, in the ski area near the Rinneralm slopes and the Enzian lift. The two very young people, without equipment, were overwhelmed by the mass of snow which probably broke off because of them. Only thanks to the speed of intervention of the Pelikan helicopter and the first rescue teams was it possible to identify one of the two half-buried young people and, through probes, the other completely buried. Extracted in good condition and with minor injuries, they were transported to Vipiteno hospital for health checks.
For further information Photo Agency ANSA Two boys hit by an avalanche in Alto Adige are safe – News – Ansa.it Two boys aged 10 and 11 years old, hit by an avalanche during an off-piste run in Racines, Alto Adige, are safe. The avalanche occurred in an off-piste gully in the ski area near the Rinneralm slopes and the Enzian lift. (HANDLE)
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