Three people who ended up under an avalanche on the Gran Sasso were rescued by L’Aquila mountain rescue volunteers. The operations center technician of the Alpine and Speleological Rescue received an SOS shortly after 1 pm for some people injured following a detachment that affected the Bissolati canal and the direct route on the Gran Sasso (L’Aquila). The teams that reached Campo Imperatore and the air ambulance stationed in L’Aquila were immediately activated, which through the crew on board provided aid to the three injured. At the same time, the more than 15 technicians who arrived on site provided assistance to the numerous people who crowded the Abruzzo mountains today.
The avalanche
During the operations and subsequent overflights, other detachments were observed along the various channels of the southern side, which affected other people, all unharmed. One of the injured, taken back to the cable car, was taken care of at Fonte Cerreto by an Alpine Rescue doctor, who followed him to the hospital in the Abruzzo capital. Concerning the intervention, the rescuers reported the lack of equipment (such as the search apparatus swept away in the avalanche) and clothing suitable for the environment by the majority of hikers, especially considering the fact that the MeteoMont meteorological bulletin for the day of today signals a marked degree of risk, due to the rise in temperatures that had been widely predicted for the weekend. Also present in Campo Imperatore is the Sagf, the Guardia di Finanza Alpine Rescue Service.
The rescue
Again from mountain rescue sources we learn that there were two avalanches on the Gran Sasso: one on the Direttissima leading to the Corno Grande (2,913 metres) and the other on the Bissolati canal, on the south face of the western peak of the Gran Sasso. In the first event the injured person was accompanied to the cable car where a doctor was waiting for him, in the second rescue operation the two injured people were transferred to L’Aquila hospital by air ambulance having suffered trauma to their lower limbs. There is no danger to their lives. At the moment the origins of the hikers are unknown.
