A mother and her 11-year old daughter died in avalanche in South Tyrol (Italy) yesterday. They were part of a group of nine people who decided to leave the marked slopes in the resorts of St. Valentin - Haider Alm in the Vinschgau region in South Tyrol. Due to the bad weather conditions it wasn’t possible to perform a rescue with the helicopter. The avalanche danger in the Alps currently is HIGH to EXTREME.
Members of a ski club
The nine skiers were members of a ski club and left the marked slopes on Wednesday afternoon. The group probably triggered the avalanche themselves and two persons were completely covered by the avalanche. An 11-year old girl died at the scene of the accident, her mother passed away that evening in the hospital (source). Our thoughts are with family and friends.
Schlechte Sicht und erhebliche bis sehr große Gefahr
The avalanche came down at two o’clock in the afternoon. Due to the bad visibility, strong wind and continuous snowfall it wasn’t possible to perform a rescue operation with a helicopter. Mountain rescue, the fire department and the white cross participated in the rescue. It took about an hour, because they had to skin up to the scene of the accident. The avalanche was 300 meters long and 150 meters wide. The mother was buried 70 cm deep, her daughter even deeper… (source)
According to Die Neue Südtiroler Tageszeitung the group was on their way with ‘only racing skis and helmets’ and ventured more and more into the backcountry.