The death toll of Sunday's Marmolada
glacier disaster climbed to seven on Monday after the body of
another victim was found, although it is feared this number will
rise with many people still unaccounted for.
Eight people are injured after a massive chunk of the glacier in
northern Italy broke away, causing a deadly avalanche of snow,
ice and rock.
The number of people to have been reported as missing by
relatives, meanwhile, has dropped to 14 after four people were
tracked down safe and well.
The search for survivors had to be suspended on Monday due to
heavy rain.
Rescuers had worked throughout the night looking for survivors
with the help of drones.
The bad weather meant that Premier Mario Draghi had to get to
Canazei, in the northern province of Trento, where rescue
operations are being coordinated from, by car rather than
helicopter as originally planned.
Experts have linked the current heat wave that has hit Italy to
the disaster, saying it has made the glacier unstable, with
temperatures reaching 10°C at 3,000m above sea level, something
that was unthinkable only a few years ago so early in summer.
Scientists say more frequent and intense heat waves are a result
of climate change caused by human activity.
"Temperatures have been well above normal levels for days and
last winter there was not much snow, which basically no longer
protects the glacier," said Renato Colucci of the National
Research Council's Polar Science Institute (Cnr-Isp).
"This probably produced a large quantity of melted water at the
base of that piece of glacier".
Pope Francis directly linked the disaster to the climate crisis.
"#Letspraytogehther for the victims of the collapse on the
#Marmolada glacier and for their families," the pontiff said on
his Italian-language Twitter account.
"The tragedies that we are experiencing with climate change must
push us to urgently seek new paths that are respectful of people
and of nature".
Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Monday called Province of
Trento President Maurizio Fugatti and Veneto Governor Luca Zaia
to express his sympathy to the victims' families and support for
the communities affected, the head of State's office said.
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