Overview
- All five victims were recovered on Sunday after a slab avalanche struck below the Vertainspitze in the Ortler range on Saturday afternoon.
- Seven German alpinists were on the north face in three small roped parties when the slide hit at about 3,200 meters shortly before 16:00.
- Two men survived and raised the alarm; they were flown to a hospital in Bolzano by rescue helicopter.
- Search operations paused overnight and resumed at daylight with helicopters, drones and thermal cameras, led by mountain rescue with police and fire brigades.
- Authorities report no pronounced avalanche warning that day and are conducting a fact‑finding probe, with Germany’s embassy in contact with local officials.