Avalanche
A powerful avalanche struck near Cortina in the Italian Dolomites on Sunday, March 16, burying three backcountry skiers and leaving two dead. The avalanche occurred around 1 p.m. at an altitude of 2,300 meters (7,545 feet) on the west side of Forcella Giau, near the famous ski resort Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Veneto region of northern Italy.
According to emergency responders, a fourth member of the group, who was not caught in the avalanche, immediately began searching for the buried climbers and raised the alarm. The avalanche swept away a 51-year-old man from Conegliano, who was quickly located and dug out by his companion. The other two skiers, a 38-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman, were carried further downslope and buried under deep snow.
Rescue teams from multiple Alpine search and rescue units, including San Vito di Cadore, Cortina, Alleghe-Val Fiorentina, Livinallongo, and the Guardia di Finanza, responded to the emergency. Despite challenging conditions and multiple secondary snow slides on the slope, helicopters from Pieve di Cadore and Treviso attempted to reach the site, with only one managing to land due to heavy cloud cover.
Rescuers located the 38-year-old man using an avalanche beacon and detected him under nearly two meters (6.5 feet) of snow. After being uncovered, medical personnel immediately began resuscitation efforts before airlifting him to a hospital in Mestre. Sadly, the man, identified by local news as Ecuadorian citizen Abel Ayala Anchundia, passed away a few hours after in hospital.
The search for the 39-year-old woman proved more difficult. Her avalanche beacon signal was detected, but probe poles failed to reach her, indicating she was buried deeper. A trained avalanche dog eventually pinpointed her location under more than three meters (10 feet) of snow. Rescuers worked rapidly to remove the thick snowpack and finally extracted her in critical condition. She was flown to a hospital in Treviso. Sadly, she too did not survive the night. The deceased female skier was identified as Elisa De Nardi.
The 51-year-old skier, who was the first to be rescued, was taken to a hospital in Pieve di Cadore with suspected hypothermia and an ankle injury. He has been identified as the brother of Elisa De Nardi.
The Forcella Giau area, part of the Dolomites’ stunning alpine landscape, is a popular destination for backcountry skiers and off-piste enthusiasts. Known for its steep, remote terrain, the region offers dramatic descents but also carries significant avalanche risk, particularly in fluctuating weather conditions. Authorities have not yet provided details on what may have triggered the slide, but recent temperature shifts and snowfall have increased avalanche danger across the region.
Rescuers and local officials have urged caution in the mountains, as conditions remain unstable. Several agencies have warned of elevated avalanche levels in the southern European Alps. Northern Italy saw a total of five avalanches today, with two occurring in Piedmont, one in Trentino, one in Valle d’Aosta, and one in Veneto.
