Two skiers killed after avalanche sweeps through busy slope in northern Italy

## Summary
Two skiers killed after avalanche sweeps through busy slope in northern Italy A total of 25 people were caught in the 150m wide slide of snow, with three were seriously injured. Pic: Italian Alpine, National Alpine & CNSAS/AP Why you can trust Sky News Two people have been killed after being caught in a large avalanche in northern Italy, the country's mountain rescue service has said. More on Austria Climber found guilty after girlfriend froze to death on Austria's highest mountain Man charged with terrorism offences over Taylor Swift concert attack plot Eight skiers killed in Austrian avalanches Related Topics: Austria Italy It was the latest in what European Avalanche Warning Services (EAWS) describes as an unusually high number of avalanches on the continent's slopes this season. Read more on Sky News: Police officer dies in line of duty SNL UK reviews are in A total of 127 people had died by 16 March, including 33 in Italy , 31 in France and 29 in Austria , compared to an annual average of 100, EAWS said.

## Article Content
Two skiers killed after avalanche sweeps through busy slope in northern Italy
A total of 25 people were caught in the 150m wide slide of snow, with three were seriously injured.
Sunday 22 March 2026 13:52, UK
Image:
Rescuers search the site of the avalanche in Val Ridanna, in Alto Adige, northern Italy. Pic: Italian Alpine, National Alpine & CNSAS/AP
Why you can trust Sky News
Two people have been killed after being caught in a large avalanche in northern Italy, the country's mountain rescue service has said.
Three others were seriously injured and two people suffered minor injuries after it swept through a busy high alpine slope.
The incident happened at an altitude of around 2,400 meters (7,874 feet) on the slopes of the 2,669-meter (8,757 feet) Hohe Ferse mountain (also known as Monte Tallone Grande) near the town of Ratschings, close to the border with Austria.
Image:
The avalanche happened on the Hohe Ferse in the South Tyrol region
A total of 25 skiers were caught in the avalanche in the South Tyrol region on Saturday morning.
The CNSAS rescue service has not specified if the remaining 18 people were trapped or rescued and what, if any, injuries they suffered. But, according to Italian news agency ANSA, most of them "were only grazed and not swallowed up by the mass of snow".
The agency's report said the avalanche had a "150m front and a length of several hundred metres".
A major rescue operation was launched as six helicopters and around 80 rescue staff from CNSAS, the Alpine Association, police and firefighters, along with sniffer dogs, were sent to the scene.
More on Austria
Climber found guilty after girlfriend froze to death on Austria's highest mountain
Man charged with terrorism offences over Taylor Swift concert attack plot
Eight skiers killed in Austrian avalanches
Related Topics:
Austria
Italy
It was the latest in what European Avalanche Warning Services (EAWS) describes as an unusually high number of avalanches on the continent's slopes this season.
Read more on Sky News:
Police officer dies in line of duty
SNL UK reviews are in
A total of 127 people had died by 16 March, including 33 in
Italy
, 31 in
France
and 29 in
Austria
, compared to an annual average of 100, EAWS said.
In early February, a record 13 people died on Italian slopes in one week.
Last month,
two British
skiers died in an avalanche in France.
The high number of deaths is down to an exceptionally unstable snowpack and the rush of skiers taking on off-piste slopes after recent heavy snowstorms, experts have said.
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Rising temperatures and stronger winds, seen as contributory factors, are the result of climate change, climate experts have argued.
The avalanche danger in the Ridanna Valley, where the latest avalanche occurred, is currently moderate.
Related Topics
Austria
Italy

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
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### Areas for Consideration
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### Implications
- See more Sky News in Google Google users can see more from their preferred sources in search results - click here to make yours Sky News Be the first to get Breaking News Install the Sky News app for free Rising temperatures and stronger winds, seen as contributory factors, are the result of climate change, climate experts have argued.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers avalanche, news, italy topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 513.