The lifeless bodies of Luca Perazzini and Cristian Gualdi, the two mountaineers missing since Sunday, December 22, were found today, December 27, around 12 noon. A helicopter team from the Alpine Rescue team went on a reconnaissance flight around 11:30 a.m. to assess the general situation on Gran Sasso after four days of inclement weather. The rescue team also utilized a RECCO sonar, which can quickly search large areas and cover a square kilometer in six minutes.
Luca Perazzini and Cristian Gualdi were both experienced mountaineers from Santarcangelo di Romagna in Rimini. The pair had set out on a climb on Sunday, December 22, but got caught in an avalanche while descending at an altitude of roughly 2,700 meters (8,560 feet). The pair managed to set off a distress call around 7 p.m. as one of the climbers had suffered unspecified injuries. Mountain rescuers were able to locate them through the GPS location but could not reach them as the weather rapidly deteriorated, with winds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph), heavy snowfall, and sub-zero temperatures. It was the only time they heard from the pair and their phones ran out of battery on Tuesday.
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More than 30 rescuers, including volunteers from Italy’s Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps (CNSAS) and specialized soldiers from the Guardia di Finanza Alpine unit, are involved in the rescue effort. 11 rescue operators were stranded for two nights in a shelter near Campo Imperatore at 2,100 meters (6,890 feet) but managed to descend to the valley on Wednesday morning, December 25, after a brief lull in the wind allowed the cable car to temporarily resume operations. Rescuers also tried to reach the pair on foot several times but could not get to them due to the poor conditions.
On Friday, the rescue workers spotted the lifeless body of one of the climbers in the snow. Canine rescue teams on the ground found the other body about 20 meters (65 feet) apart from his deceased friend. The bodies were recovered by an ambulance helicopter from the Abruzzo Region with Alpine Rescue technicians and a Fire Brigade helicopter on board. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death. It is currently unclear if the pair succumbed to their injuries from the fall or died of exposure.
❌️ Recuperati i corpi privi di vita dei due alpinisti dispersi dal 22 dicembre scorso sul massiccio del #GranSasso (AQ). Nella clip le operazioni di recupero da parte del speleo alpino dei #vigilidelfuoco con l’elicottero Drago VF164#27dicembre pic.twitter.com/ae7WnwEzkm
— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) December 27, 2024
