5 German Climbers Killed As Avalanche Strikes Italian Alps

Last Updated:November 02, 2025, 22:53 IST

Five German climbers died in an avalanche near Cima Vertana in the Ortler mountain range, Italian Alps. Two survived as rescue teams recovered victims amid worsening weather.

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Five German climbers died after they were caught in an avalanche in the Italian alps, local authorities said on Sunday.

According to The Guardian, the avalanche hit at about 4pm on Saturday while the climbers were using crampons and ice axes to summit Cima Vertana, in the Ortler mountain range, at an altitude of more than 3,500 metres (11,500ft). The Ortler massif, part of the Italian Alps close to the Swiss border, is a popular destination for professional hikers and climbers.

The rescuers said that the climbers were just a few hundred metres from the summit when the avalanche struck.

According to a report by Reuters, the climbers had set out on Saturday to scale Cima Vertana in the Ortler mountain range near the village of Solda. The avalanche struck as they headed for the summit.

The avalanche swept away members of two separate rope teams.

“The first group, consisting of three people, was completely buried," Italy’s alpine rescue services said on social media.

The bodies of two women and a woman were recovered on Saturday, two other victims, a father and his 17-year-old daughter, were found on Sunday. Meanwhile, two climbers escaped unharmed.

“They had been dragged to the lower part of the gully where the avalanche occurred," Federico Catania, an Alpine rescue spokesperson, told the Associated Press. “Rescue teams are now returning to the valley, also considering the worsening weather conditions at high altitude."

News world 5 German Climbers Killed As Avalanche Strikes Italian Alps

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