Death toll rises to 7 in Italian glacier landslide

ROME, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a dramatic landslide caused by a melting glacier has climbed to seven a day after the tragedy in northern Italy, as rescuers on Monday continued to search for survivors.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Monday traveled to the area where at least seven hikers lost their lives after part of the Punta Rocca glacier, at the summit of the Marmolada in the Dolomite Mountains, collapsed on Sunday. This led to a massive landslide of ice, snow, and rock.

Authorities have now discovered one more body, after the original death toll was announced Sunday. Ten people were injured, two seriously.

The number of missing persons was reduced when officials from the region of Trentino reported that an Austrian hiker had been found. Nevertheless, 13 others are still missing.

Officials have attributed the tragedy to scorching temperatures; when the glacier collapsed, the temperature at the mountain peak was reportedly around 10 degrees Celsius, when a normal temperature for this time of year is below zero.

As of late Monday, officials said they continued to hope that more survivors would be found. Search efforts are now focused on the use of autonomous drones with heat sensors.