Seven dead in Italian avalanches
Sunday December 27 2009
Seven people have been killed by avalanches in northern Italy.
In one incident, two Italian tourists were killed when an avalanche hit them in the Italian Alps, local police said.
Four rescuers who were looking for them were hit by a subsequent avalanche and were also killed.
The two tourists had gone missing on Saturday afternoon while mountain climbing in the Trentino Alto Adige region.
In a separate incident in the same region, rescue and police officials said a 14-year-old from Germany was hit by an avalanche when he was skiing with his brother and a friend on Sunday. He died instantly.
The victim's brother was unhurt, while the third skier was taken to the hospital in the nearby city of Bolzano.
The victim was identified as Maximilian Conrad. Police said he was from the town of Trabach.
