Avalanche kills two hikers on snowshoes in Alps
Two hikers on snowshoes were killed today by an avalanche in the Italian Alps.
The avalanche ripped down slopes at around noon on Sunday (local time) at the 2200-metre level in the Formazza Valley in the Piedmont region, near Switzerland.
The force of the avalanche pushed one of the victims into a lake near the bottom of the slope, while the other body was found in the mass of snow.
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Two mountain hikers (not the people killed) are dwarfed by the winter landscape of the Formazza Valley, in northern Italy. AP / Fabio Polimeni
Despite strong winds, a helicopter was able to lower a rescue team aided by a dog unit.
The identities of the two victims weren't immediately released.
A search operation was launched after guards at a nearby dike reported seeing an avalanche strike two hikers.
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An initial search by foot failed to find the hikers, prompting the use of the helicopter.
A helicopter carrying divers was dispatched to recover the body from the lake.
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