At least six people from a group of tourists have been tragically killed during an avalanche in the Italian alps.
The fatal avalanche took place as over this weekend as yesterday the mountain recorded an all-time record temperature of 10c.
Ten people were injured in the horrific incident which took place at Punta Rocca on Dolomite peak Marmolada, north-eastern Italy.
However, a local provincial government warned that there was likely to be a "heavy toll" from the avalanche.
All hikers and explorers are desperately being rushed off the mountain as officials confirm there is risk of further collapses.
An intense heat wave that has hung across Italy since late June could have also been a factor in triggering the deadly avalanche, Alpine Rescue spokesperson Walter Milan told state TV.
Injured people were rushed to hospitals in nearby towns and Alpine rescue confirmed the huge mass of ice collapsed onto a route usually used by hikers and climbers to reach the summit.
Terrifying footage of the landslide shows huge amounts of ice cascading down the mountainside as two hikers barely a stone's throw away keep walking on.
According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, five helicopters and dog units were sent to the area in a desperate search for survivors.
An eyewitness told the newspaper: “We heard a very loud noise, then we saw the snow and ice avalanche.”
Tourist Reinhold Messner added: “The ice there is almost all gone, there is none. These seracs fall, of course, due to gravity, but the real cause is global warming, which causes glaciers to melt and makes it more likely that a serac will come off.”
Regional Councillor Gianpaolo Bottacin was reported by the Mail Online as having said: "All the mountain rescue teams in the area have been activated. The first injured have already been recovered.
"I am in contact with the Head of the Civil Protection Department Fabrizio Curcio, to keep him informed, and with the Head of the Alpine Rescue Delegation Alex Barattin.
"For the Venetian side, the 2 helicopters of the Suem 118 of the Ulss of Belluno are already operational."
He added that along with teams of mountain rescuers, dog units were being deployed.
