Two mountaineers found dead after avalanche in Italy

The two Italian men, aged 41 and 48, were surprised by an avalanche on Sunday while climbing the Gran Sasso at an altitude of around 2500m. The pair slipped into a ravine and lost visual contact with each other, Italian media reported.

The men were able to make an emergency call, but assistance arrived too late.

The large-scale search was hampered by sub-zero temperatures, heavy snowfall and wind gusts of more than 100km/h. There was also the threat of further avalanches.

Although the mobile phones of the climbers were located remotely, rescue workers were unable to make contact with them.

The men were from the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna.

with AP