A 57-year-old tourist from Germany has died after falling 200 metres down a mountain slope in South Tyrol, northern Italy.
The hiker was walking along the sixth high-altitude trail with his wife at an elevation of 2,300 metres when the accident happened, according to the German newspaper Bild.
The couple was trekking towards Lake Seefeld when the man tumbled off the path. His wife and several other tourists who were nearby witnessed the fall and immediately called emergency services for help.
Rescue teams dispatched to the site located the man after his 200-metre drop. However, he had stopped showing signs of life by the time rescuers arrived on the scene.
Authorities have not yet established why the traveller stepped off the marked trail prior to the fatal fall.
High-altitude routes in northern Italy
South Tyrol is an autonomous province in northern Italy situated along the Alps, bordering Austria and Switzerland. Known for its mountainous landscape, the region features high-altitude hiking paths that draw thousands of alpine tourists every year.
Lake Seefeld is a high-altitude alpine lake located in the mountains of South Tyrol. At elevations around 2,300 metres, alpine paths run above the tree line where steep slopes, rocky terrain, and sudden drops present hazards for mountain walkers.
Separate mountain tragedy in Russia
The fatal accident in Italy comes as search teams in Russia located the bodies of two missing hikers. Tourists from the Russian cities of Tolyatti and Nizhny Novgorod went missing on September 20 near Mount Dykhtau in Kabardino-Balkaria and were subsequently found dead.
Mount Dykhtau is situated in the Kabardino-Balkaria region of southern Russia within the Caucasus mountain range. Rising to 5,204 metres, it is the second highest peak in Russia and Europe, renowned for its steep ice walls and technical climbing routes.
Tolyatti is an industrial city in Samara Oblast on the Volga River, while Nizhny Novgorod is a major cultural and economic hub located at the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers in western Russia.
