Avalanche buries Germans Five mountaineers dead in South Tyrol - including father and daughter (17)

Five German mountaineers lost their lives in South Tyrol when an avalanche caught them by surprise on the Vertainspitze. Among the dead are a father and his 17-year-old daughter - an accident that has deeply shaken the mountain world.

DPA

01.11.2025, 20:36

02.11.2025, 10:25

dpa

Following the avalanche accident in South Tyrol, the bodies of the two Germans who were still missing have also been found. According to the Italian mountain rescue service, they are a father and his daughter. This means that a total of five mountaineers died in the accident on the afternoon before All Saints' Day - all from Germany. Three of the dead were already recovered on Saturday. The exact course of events is still unclear.

The mountaineers were caught in a snow avalanche on Saturday while climbing to the Vertainspitze in the Ortler mountains, which is more than 3,500 meters high - quite late in the afternoon, shortly before 4.00 pm. According to the mountain rescue service, they were traveling independently of each other in three groups - one rope team of three and two rope teams of two. Two men survived the accident. They were taken by helicopter to hospital in Bolzano.

Mountain rescue: missing men "certainly" dead

The search had to be interrupted in the evening due to the darkness. At this point, the mountain rescue team had already given up hope of finding the two missing people alive. The father and his 17-year-old daughter were "certainly" dead after a fall of around 200 meters, said spokesman Olaf Reinstadler. This was confirmed on Sunday. Officials were initially unable to provide any further details on the age and origin of the other fatalities.

According to the mountain rescue service, the accident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. on the north face below the summit at an altitude of around 3,200 meters. It was initially a mystery as to why the three groups were still on their way up at this relatively late hour. The ascent to the Vertainspitze is considered long and strenuous, but not technically difficult. According to mountain rescuers, they had already started the tour in Sulden in the morning. The avalanche came down when it was almost dawn.

North face is considered a "high alpine ice tour"

According to Reinstadler, there was no particularly high avalanche risk on Saturday. The avalanche may have come loose as a result of heavy drifts because the newly fallen snow was not yet sufficiently bonded to the ground. The first fresh snow of the season fell in the region a few days ago. During the day, the temperatures there are still quite high for the time of year. At night, it is already very cold at altitude.

Among mountaineers, the north face is considered a "high alpine ice tour", for which a rope and full ice climbing equipment are required. According to previous findings, the avalanche broke loose about a hundred meters below the summit. The climbers were obviously taken completely by surprise. For the climbers, who were using crampons and ice axes at this point, there was virtually no escape. The two men, who were watching the descent from a little further away, then raised the alarm.