At midday an avalanche on the Gran Zebrù in the Ortles-Cevedale group caused the death of two ski mountaineers.
A third person was slightly injured.
The victims are two men from the province of Bergamo, a 55-year-old from Pradalunga and a 47-year-old from Vertova.
They were located on the South Tyrolean side of the Gran Zebrù, at about 3,500 meters above sea level, above the Colle della Bottle, on the border between the provinces of Bolzano and Sondrio, when the detachment took place.
The consortium, made up of four climbers, was warming up the Gran Zebrù (3,857 m) on the South Tyrolean side along the normal route. At 3,500 meters above sea level, in a mixed area of rock and snow, while the four were continuing with crampons, two of them were hit and dragged by the avalanche. Both the mountain rescue from Bormio and Sondrio and the one from Solda, led by Olaf Reinstadler, arrived on the spot. When the two were recovered they were now dead.