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Five skiers found dead and one missing in Swiss Alps

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Swiss authorities have confirmed that five out of the six missing skiers have been discovered deceased in the Swiss Alps near the Tete Blanche mountain. The group, consisting of Swiss nationals aged between 21 and 58, had embarked on a ski tour from Zermatt towards Arolla along the Swiss-Italian border.

Despite efforts from search and rescue teams on both sides of the route, severe weather conditions, including high winds and heavy snowfall, have impeded the operation. Anjan Truffer, head of Zermatt’s air rescue service, mentioned that the adverse weather rendered flying impossible due to strong winds, heavy snow, and low visibility.

The group’s last recorded signal, though not verbal, provided rescuers with a general idea of their whereabouts. It’s speculated that the skiers may have succumbed to the harsh weather conditions rather than being caught in an avalanche, as they disappeared from an area with a low risk of avalanches.

The Zermatt to Arolla route, forming a part of the renowned “Haute Route,” is popular but demanding, suitable only for highly experienced skiers and can span several days.

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Italy: Floods and rain kill at least 10 overnight – officials

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Authorities in Marche, Italy, reported that at least 10 people had perished as a result of nocturnal flash floods. Late on Thursday, torrential rain forced rivers and streams to overflow, flooding coastal towns near the regional capital of Ancona.

A half-worth year’s of rain, or about 400mm (16 inches), fell in a few of hours. Four more people, including a kid who was split up when a river burst its banks, are still missing and being sought for by rescuers. Local mayor Ludovico Caverni told the state-run RAI radio station that “it was like an earthquake.”

A mother who managed to leave her car while holding her infant in her arms reportedly lost sight of him after becoming submerged in water when the River Misa burst its banks.

Emergency personnel were able to save the woman over night, but several people remain unaccounted for, according to local media. In addition to the 10 confirmed fatalities, 50 additional patients were reportedly being treated in hospitals in Italy for hypothermia and other flood-related injuries.

More than 180 firefighters are helping with the rescue operations by removing residents who were compelled to scale trees or climb onto their roofs to flee the rising water overnight. Video reveals that some of the rescuers reached the stranded families using dinghy rafts and helicopters.

The neighbouring coastal areas were parched after an extremely dry summer and unable to absorb the massive amounts of water that were raining down.

Local officials claim that even though rain was predicted for the area, the accompanying flash floods completely caught everyone off guard.

According to Reuters, regional administrator for the Marche region Stefano Aguzzi told reporters, “We were given a regular rain alert, but nobody had expected anything like this.”

Weather forecasters claimed that a combination of two factors—unusual high temperatures in September and an ongoing drought throughout the summer—explained the intensity of the floods.

Due to the heat, the water was warmer than usual for the season, which increased the amount of moisture in the air. Because of the extreme summer drought, the land was unable to quickly absorb the rain that a storm later discharged as moisture.

Fears about the effects of climate change have increased as a result of unusually hot weather and low rainfall levels in northern Italy.

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Europe storms: Children among dead in France, Austria and Italy

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Areas of central and southern Europe have been blasted by strong storms that have killed at least 12 people, including three children. In Italy, Austria, and on the French island of Corsica, there were documented deaths, the majority of which were caused by fallen trees.

Campsites on the island were destroyed by strong winds and rain, while in Venice, Italy, stone was blown from the belltower of St. Mark’s Basilica. Following weeks of scorching and drought across much of the continent, the storms hit. Wind gusts of up to 224 km/h (140 mph) in Corsica destroyed trees and harmed mobile homes.

Authorities there said that a 13-year-old girl was murdered on a camping by a tree that fell.

Due to human-induced climate change, extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and storms, have gotten worse and more common in recent years.

Since the start of the industrial age, the world has already warmed by around 1.1C, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments drastically reduce emissions.

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