The Dangers of Seracs: Six Hikers Die in Italy After Glacier Collapse

A massive glacier column fell into a landslide in the Italian Dolomites, killing at least six people and leaving up to 15 people missing. While hikers were enjoying the popular path at Marmolada peak, the ice splintered off the glacier, causing a massive landslide of ice and debris that collided with a number of individuals on the trail and swept away numerous groups who were tied onto the rocks at the time.

Nine people are now injured and being treated, and it is believed that foreign nationals are among the fatalities.

Since then, the National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps of Italy has been tweeting information about the event, as well as a hotline if you have friends or family members who may not have returned from their trek.

The footage of the large ice avalanche in Marmolada today in close proximity.

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Indeed an impressive sequence pic.twitter.com/zDo4q40qOP

— Alpine-Adriatic Meteorological Society (@aametsoc) July 3, 2022

Helicopters and canine units are now exploring the area for survivors, though the search was paused amid fears of another glacier collapse. 

It is thought the incident resulted from the collapse of a serac, a notoriously dangerous feature of glaciers typically found on high peaks. A serac is a large column or block of ice, typically many stories tall, that forms a vertical wall that is liable to collapse at any point. Their unpredictable and often catastrophic nature has gained them a reputation among the most dangerous areas of a mountain summit. 

The most famous seracs soar above the Bottleneck, an essential portion of the most popular route to the summit of K2, the world’s second-highest peak. The Bottleneck is a tiny couloir (a mountain valley) that is overshadowed by many seracs from the eastern ice field. These seracs have been responsible for the vast majority of fatalities on K2. As climbers attempt to negotiate the very technical section of the Bottleneck, abrupt collapses of the seracs above result in either direct collisions with climbers or the loss of safety ropes and safe routes above or below their present placements.

The catastrophic 2008 K2 accident was caused by an ice avalanche at the Bottleneck, which killed 11 mountaineers and injured three more.

According to local officials, the collapse at Marmolada mountain may have been caused in part by the severe heat in the area, with temperatures exceeding 10°C (50°F).

“The heat is unprecedented,” said Walter Milan, a spokesperson for the Corps, according to the Guardian.

“That’s a lot of heat. Clearly, something unusual has occurred.”