In the early afternoon, the bodies of Roberto Biancon and Vanessa Gatti were identified, the two hikers – and not ski mountaineers as initially communicated – swept away together with their dog by an avalanche in the area of Lake Toggia around an altitude of around 2200 metres, in the municipality of Formazza, in the province of Verbania. The alarm was raised around 12pm today, Sunday 7 January, by the dam guardians who witnessed the event and claimed to have seen two people overwhelmed while they were proceeding on snowshoes. As technicians of the Piedmontese Alpine and Speleological Rescue they went to the point of the avalanche and began an initial search with the Artva (device for searching for those caught in an avalanche) with negative results.
The testimonies of those who were on the mountain say they heard a loud bang and then the mass of snow overwhelm two snowshoers who were with a dog. There shouldn’t be any more victims under the snow.
In the meantime, the Regional Helicopter Rescue Service of Azienda Zero Piemonte had been alerted and, despite the strong wind at high altitude, it managed to disembark the technician and the avalanche dog unit of the Alpine Rescue who continued the search, identifying the first body at the inside the snow mass and, later thanks to the avalanche dog’s signal, the second body inside the lake. Both were in conditions incompatible with life. Other avalanches also occurred in the area between Alpe Toggia and the San Giacomo pass and the strong vertex hindered all operations.
Also on site was the Fire Brigade helicopter with the diving team to recover the body from the water and a further team from the Civil Alpine Rescue Service with a doctor and from the Guardia di Finanza to verify the deaths. According to initial information, the two victims are from Lombardy from the Legnano area, on the outskirts of Milan
Roberto Biancon, a 53-year-old osteopath born in Legnano, lived in Arluno in the Milan area, and had always had a passion for the mountains. Vanessa Gatti, who turned 30 less than a month ago, was originally from Saronno and resident in Origgio. However, the dog that was with them was not found
The Arpa Bulletin meanwhile indicated the avalanche danger for today as orange. «Since yesterday the wind has been moderate to strong – we read in the regional press release – The new accumulations of windy snow may be detached following the passage of a single winter sports enthusiast. Medium and large dry avalanches are expected. The fresh snow of the last two days as well as the accumulations of windswept snow that have reached a certain thickness must be carefully evaluated above approximately 2200 meters”.
2024-01-07 16:01:03
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