BELLUNO. On Sunday 3 July an important ice serac collapsed in Marmolada and it is a national tragedy because there are dead, injured and missing. At the moment the toll indicates 6 deaths, a number of injured that fluctuates between 10 and 14 and an unknown number of missing.
Missing for which there are no more hopes, so much so that shortly after 19 the rescuers suspended their searches. “We do not think there may be any other survivors,” says Alex Barattin, head of the mountain rescue in Belluno.
The detachment took place under Punta Rocca, along the ascent route of the normal route to reach the summit, where the border between Trentino and Veneto runs.
On Saturday 2 at the summit of the Marmolada, that is, at an altitude of 3,343 meters, a maximum temperature of 10 degrees was recorded. demonstrating an impressive “zero temperature”, but also the enormous risk of detachments
VIDEO 1 / THE MOMENT OF THE POSTING
At the moment 8 wounded have been recovered – 2 transported to the Belluno hospital, one more serious in Treviso, 5 in Trento – and 5 people have been found lifeless. The definitive number of mountaineers involved is not yet known.
Due to the risk of new detachments, the Trento helicopter is carrying out the reclamation of the area with the Daisy Bell and thus avoiding the danger for the operators as much as possible.
As for the rescue, all the mountain rescue stations in the area have been activated and there are already two Suem helicopters from Belluno, plus Trento and a helicopter from the Veneto Civil Protection to check the people involved.
The intervention of drones was requested to search for the missing. The avalanche would have hit two ropes of hikers. The serac front has a front of about 300 meters.
VIDEO 2 / THE COLLAPSE
There are also the first testimonies: “The roar, which was distinctly heard around our mountains, immediately made us understand that something serious had happened, so much so that I immediately ran to call for help”, says a mountain guide . «From the serac area I am about 3 km away – she explains – and I saw everything live.
We know that part of the mountain well because we also have our own hut at the top as a refuge. This tragedy strikes us, but we were not afraid for our safety because the refuge is safe ». «Having said that, I repeat – he concludes – I expect that another part of the serac will come down due to the continuous melting of the glacier».
«I have climbed the Punta di Rocca several times, but I haven’t been there for many years now. The ice is almost all gone there, there is no more ice. These seracs certainly fall due to gravity, but the real, original cause is global heat, which causes the glaciers to melt and makes it more likely that a serac will come off, ”said Reinhold Messner.
“There, since there is hardly any ice left, the serac must not be very large. What happened there happens every day in all the glaciers ».
The indicative figure is published on the Suem social profiles while research is underway with dozens of Alpine Rescue men and five helicopters from Veneto and Trentino. The injured were hospitalized in multiple hospitals. According to initial information, the detachment would have occurred in the stretch that leads from Pian dei Fiacconi to Punta Penia by the normal route to the summit of the Marmolada.
VIDEO 3 / THE SHOOTING OF HIKERS
According to the testimonies, the serac broke in two points, the collapse generated a flow of ice debris on a front of about three hundred meters, along the path that from Punta Rocca leads to Punta Penia.
“This piece of glacier has detached from the ridge and has centered the path, the normal way to climb the Marmolada the lower part of the path from the refuge cannot be seen”, says Aurelio from the Marmolada refuge, “there is the Alpine Rescue, there are also quite a few helicopters… There seem to be a lot of people involved ”.
“I am in contact with the Head of the Civil Protection Department Fabrizio Curcio, to keep him informed, and with the Head of the Alpine Rescue Delegation Alex Barattin. For the Veneto side, the 2 helicopters of the Suem 118 of the Ulss of Belluno are already operational.
One of the Civil Protection helicopters of the Veneto Region is also operational to transport teams of alpine rescuers with canine units on site. All the mountain rescue teams in the area have been activated. The first wounded have already been recovered “.
The helicopters that are operating are from Belluno, Trento and Bolzano. A helicopter from the Venice fire brigade also arrives to ferry staff.
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