(ANSA) - AOSTA, 04 JUL - Two Italian mountaineers were frozen to death on Monte Rosa.
They were blocked yesterday due to bad weather under the Vincent Pyramid, at 4,150 meters above sea level, and had called for help.
Teams on foot from the Valle d'Aosta Alpine Rescue climbed up in the night and found them.
They are two Piedmontese women.
The victims are two in their thirties. There was also a man with them, who suffered severe frostbite on his hands but survived. The three come from Omegna and Domodossola. Yesterday they left for the ascension of the Vincent Pyramid and only reached the summit in the afternoon, as the storm was starting. Failing to return to the valley, they raised the alarm: they were identified by an overflight of the helicopter of the Valle d'Aosta Alpine Rescue but recovery was impossible. This is how mountain guides climbed on foot from the Mantova refuge. The three were joined around 9 pm: one climber died a few minutes after the rescuers arrived while the other was transported to the Mantova refuge where the doctor tried in vain to revive her. Their climbing partner was instead transported to Switzerland fromAir Zermatt helicopter.
The two women who died from freezing last night on Monte Rosa are Martina Sviluppo, 29, resident in Crevoladossola (Verbania), and Paola Viscardi, 28, resident in Trontano (Verbania).
With them was also Valerio Zonna, 27, from Pettenasco (Novara), who is hospitalized in Switzerland and his condition does not cause concern.
The recovery operations, which took place in extreme conditions due to the storm, were attended by the technicians of the Valle d'Aosta Alpine Rescue, the Alagna rescuers and the men of the Cervinia Financial Police Alpine Rescue who are entrusted with the investigations.
