Time.news – An Italian hiking group of five was hit by an avalanche in Norway. One of them is dead, another is seriously injured and one has minor injuries according to the website of the Aftenposten newspaper. The last two are unharmed. Relatives have not yet been notified, police said.
According to the police, this afternoon the group of Italian tourists was overwhelmed by an avalanche in the Kvalvikdalen valley, in the far north of Norway. “There were five people of foreign origin who were taking a field trip in the area. We can confirm that one person is deceased“said Morten Pettersen, a police spokesman.
About half an hour after the first report, the police received news of another avalanche on the nearby island of Reinoya “dwhere a house and a barn have been caught in the mass of snow and carried out to seaPettersen said, adding that two people have been confirmed dead.
Later in the evening, police said a fourth person was killed in another avalanche near the Tverrelva River in the Nordreisa area. “The person was part of a group of foreign travellers. Another member of the traveling party who was at the scene spotted the person and alerted the emergency services“.
Originally from Vicenza
The group of five Italians swept away by an avalanche in Norway came from the Vicenza area. Eight of them had left Italy, but three did not participate in the outing and are comfortable in the hotel.
The avalanche in Lyngen passed through Kavringtinden, a 1289m high mountain which is a popular hiking mountain. The police were notified at 2.46pm. Some of the people from Vicenza had backpacks with airbags that kept them ‘afloat’, others slammed into trees and suffered bruises of varying severity. The most seriously injured is in hospital in Tromso.
The rescue operation presented great challenges for the rescuers. Ground crews did not enter due to weather conditions. A red hazard warning has been issued for both today and tomorrow in West Finnmark, North Troms, Lyngen, Tromso and Indre Troms