Avalanche in Aosta Valley isolates towns and strands 800 tourists

In recent days, the weather in the Aosta Valley in northwestern Italy has been harsh. On Sunday, March 3, an avalanche occurred, blocking Regional Road 44, preventing passage through the tunnel. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the towns of Gressoney Saint Jean and Gressoney-La-Trinité have been isolated from the rest of the world.

- Around noon GMT, a massive snowfall was noticed hitting the tunnel. The alarm was immediately raised by witnesses - said Mayor Francesco Valerio. - Emergency services rushed to the site, but thankfully, there were no injuries.

The situation is currently under control, with the snowfall ceasing, but intense rain was forecasted for the night from Sunday to Monday, so clearing the road was postponed until Monday, March 4.

Regional Road No. 44 is the only access route to the valley, where 800 tourists are stranded. Currently, the thickness of the snow cover is estimated at around 1.5 metres.

A weather alert is also in effect for March 4. - This is not the first such case; we are used to it – says Alessandro Girod, Mayor of Gressoney-La-Trinité. - When there is heavy snowfall, such situations can occur; that's just the area he remarks. A similar incident occurred in 2019.

Heavy snowfall in recent days elevated the avalanche risk to the fourth level on a five-level scale in Piedmont, adjacent to the Aosta Valley.

A few years back, we reported an incident in Sestriere, also in northwestern Italy, where snow broke through the doors and windows of apartments on one of the housing estates, trapping 29 people inside the building.

Snowdrifts fell on the block in a well-known Alpine winter sports resort, the site of the 2006 Olympic Games, during a period when the highest avalanche risk level was declared across Piedmont.

In the San Vittorio housing estate, huge amounts of snow broke into the apartments, causing considerable damage. The ground and first floors were primarily affected.