Five people were killed in an avalanche that was triggered by the collapse of a glacier north of the Italian Alps.
According to emergency officials, eight other people were hurt in the collapse. Two of these victims sustained serious injuries.
Five helicopters and dozens emergency workers were dispatched to the scene to aid in rescue efforts.
The incident was captured on video and showed an ice mass falling down the slopes Marmolada's highest peak.
Michela Canova, a spokeswoman for emergency services, stated that five people had been declared dead. She added that there was still a provisional count of the injured.
"An avalanche made of snow, rock, and ice that was in its path struck the access road when several roped parties were present, some of them were swept away," Ms Canova explained. She added that it is unknown how many mountaineers were involved.
Officials from rescue said that the injured hikers, which included one who was in critical condition, were transported to various hospitals in the region.
The local emergency services tweeted that they believe 15 hikers were among the victims of the collapse.
It's not immediately clear what caused the glacier section, also known as a serac to collapse.
Walter Milan, spokesperson for the rescue service, said that the area had been experiencing unusually hot temperatures in recent days.
Milan stated that the heat was unusual and noted that temperatures reached 10C at the glacier peak in recent days.
He said, "That's extreme heat." It's clearly something unusual.
Reinhold Messner, an Italian mountaineer said that the glacier is receding since several years because of the global warming impact.
Messner stated that "there is very little ice left." While Messner acknowledged that glaciers can sometimes collapse due to gravity, he said that the main reason glaciers retreat is global heat which causes them to melt.
