Avalanche Kills 2, Injures 5 in Italy's South Tyrol

An avalanche swept through a group of 25 ski tourers in Italy's South Tyrol region on Saturday morning, killing two people and injuring five others near the Austrian border.

The incident occurred around 11:40 a.m. local time at an elevation of approximately 2,400 meters on the slopes of Hohe Ferse, also known as Monte Tallone Grande, in the Val Ridanna area close to the town of Ratschings. The skiers, who were descending the high-alpine valley, were caught in the sudden slide, which had a front measuring about 150 meters and extended several hundred meters in length, according to reports from local rescue services. Most of the group were only grazed by the snow mass and not fully buried, aided by the fact that all 25 were equipped with ARTVA transceivers, devices that help locate individuals under snow.

Italy's Corpo Nazionale Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico (CNSAS), the mountain rescue service, confirmed the casualties: two dead and five injured, including three with serious injuries and two with minor ones. The names and nationalities of the victims have not been released. Rescue teams extracted the deceased from the debris, while the injured were airlifted to hospitals across...