An avalanche in northern Italy leaves two skiers dead and five injured

Two skiers were killed and five others injured on Saturday when an avalanche swept through them in the Italian Alps in the Trentino-Alto Adige region, the mountain rescue service said.

The service’s operations center received an alert around noon that a dozen skiers had been trapped in the avalanche, according to a spokesperson.

“Six helicopters were dispatched” and nearby hospitals were notified, he said.

The avalanche occurred at an altitude of about 7,874 feet on the slopes of the 8,757-foot Hohe Ferse near the town of Ratschings, near the Austrian border, the News reported.

Dozens of rescue personnel, as well as firefighters and law enforcement officers, are participating in search and rescue efforts.

A total of 25 skiers were on the mountainside where the avalanche occurred, but most had escaped the burden of snow, rocks and ice.

A few days ago, in the same region, a Pole died from an avalanche.

The avalanche warning issued for the region on Saturday assessed the danger as low to moderate.

Europe has been hit by a series of avalanches this winter. Last month at least five peopleincluding an American, died in a series of avalanches in western Austria. Three avalanches in Austria killed eight skiers in January, authorities said. six skiers deceased in France after being caught in avalanches in several alpine resorts.