The Northern Italian region close to where the Winter Olympics are taking place was rocked by avalanches over the weekend, with three skiers killed.
Two separate avalanches occurred on Saturday in the mountainous regions of Trentino Alto Adige and Lombardy, according to Reuters.
All three victims were skiing off-piste – exploring unpatrolled terrain outside the designated runs of ski resort, per the outlet.
Two bodies were recovered in the town of Albosaggia, a village in the lower Valtellina valley which is roughly 65 km east of Bormio, where the men’s alpine skiing competitions are being held for the Milano-Cortina Games.
Another man was found buried in snow after an avalanche at Punta Rocca in the Marmolada area in the Dolomites, which at 3,300 metres is the highest peak in the area.
It also is located not far from Cortina d’Ampezzo, where the women’s alpine skiing competitions are taking place.
The man is thought to have caused the avalanche himself while his three companions – who were unharmed — immediately began to search with help of some other nearby skiers.
The identities of the three victims had not been released as of Wednesday morning.
More reported avalanche victims in Italy
Local media also reported that there was a potential fourth victim in Trentino Alto Adige, however the alpine rescue service said it had no confirmation. Outlets had reported that a man who was injured in an earlier avalanche later died in hospital.
Two Finnish skiers, who reportedly were in their 50s, died Feb. 5 near the Solda ski resort in South Tyrol, close to the Italian-Swiss border.
AINEVA, Italy’s snow and avalanche risks association, issued a warning over the weekend after heavy snowfall in the Alps in the past week.
Experts also warned that while avalanches can be caused by movement, rapidly changing weather and wind, it is skiers themselves who cause 90% of avalanches that result in injury or death, according to the Associated Press.
“There is a popular misconception that sounds or vibrations trigger avalanches, and that is not correct at all. There needs to be a physical force on the snowpack for an avalanche to occur,” Chris Lundy, an avalanche specialist with the National Avalanche Center, told the outlet.