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Drones and helicopters look for missing after the collapse of a glacier in Italy

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Reuters

CANAZEI — Helicopter crew On Monday, crew and drones searched about 15 people missing in the Italian Alps after a partial collapse of a mountain glacier killed at least six people and injured eight.

Much of Italy was burned by heat waves in early summer, and experts said the disaster was associated with climate change, which made glaciers more unstable.

The avalanche on Sunday happened in Marmolada. Marmolada is located over 3,300 meters, the highest peak of the Dolomites in the eastern Italian Alps, which straddles the region of Trent and Veneto.

"This is the first such accident in mountain history," said Gino Comelli, who helped coordinate rescue operations.

The peak was too unstable for rescuers to approach on foot, Comelli said, adding that the recent hot weather was the cause of the collapse.

Pope Francis said he was praying for the victims and their families.

"The tragedy we are experiencing in climate change should force us to urgently pursue new ways of respecting people and nature," he said on Twitter. ..

Four victims were identified on Monday, three of whom were Italians, two of whom were alpine guides and one of whom was from the Czech Republic.

Due to rising average temperatures, the Marmolada Glacier, like many other glaciers around the world, has been steadily shrinking in recent decades.

"The collapse of the Marmolada Glacier is a natural disaster directly related to climate change," said Paul Christophersen, a professor of glaciology at the University of Cambridge.

"Highland glaciers like Marmolada are often steep and rely on low temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius for stability," he said.

"These catastrophic glacier collapses are becoming more frequent."

Former Alpine Guide director Lucaviazini said the disaster was "unpredictable." And I couldn't expect this to happen. "

He added that high temperatures are an important factor, but there have been hot seasons in the past, including the record summer of 2003.

Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi and the Protezione Civile Protection were scheduled to visit the area late Monday. (Written by Giulia Segreti, edited by Keith Weir and Janet Lawrence)