In northern Italy, at least seven people were killed Sunday as a glacier collapsed and skidded down a popular climbing route in the Italian Alps. Rescue crews using helicopters and drones are searching for more than a dozen others who remain missing. The glacier’s collapse came as temperatures at its summit hit a record 50 degrees Fahrenheit and as Italy’s government declared a state of emergency from a severe heat wave that’s spawned drought across much of the nation and wildfires near Rome. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Sunday blamed climate change for the glacier’s collapse.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi: “The drama was certainly unpredictable, but it definitely depended on the deterioration of the environment and the climate situation. Today Italy weeps for those victims.”