A Dutch man died in an accident in the mountains in northern Italy on Monday. The 72-year-old man fell from a cliff while walking and fell 100 meters. That happened in the presence of his son, the mayor of the city confirmed in conversation with this site. The drama has a big impact in the Italian town, he says. “Our community is shocked by what happened and stands close to the victim’s family.”
The tragedy happened around 4 p.m. in the mountains of Berbenno di Valtellina, a town in the northern Italian province of Sondrio. A Dutch man and his 42-year-old son had left their car in the valley and started their 15 kilometer climb together, more than 2 kilometers above sea level. According to hikers, it is a tough climb that takes an average of eleven hours. ‘This trail is great for hiking and mountain biking. The chance is small that you will meet other people,” is how the Alltrails website describes it.
During the walk, son and father were together, mayor Valerio Fumasoni confirmed via WhatsApp. In doing so, he contradicts some news articles in local media. The Italian news agency Ansa writes that father and son were not together, but would meet somewhere in the mountains at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters. But: “The son was with his father at the time of the incident,” says Fumasoni. The 42-year-old man called the emergency services himself after he saw his father at the bottom of a cliff. Emergency services were eventually able to remove his body from the abyss.
It is a fatal accident, the mayor says by telephone. “The path is steep and has become slippery due to the snow and rain. The cause is unknown, but it is suspected that he slipped.” The emergency services could no longer do anything for the Dutchman.
‘It’s very sad’
The fatal accident is big news in the town of Berbenno di Valtellina, where father and son spent the night in a bed and breakfast for a number of days. An owner of another B&B says that the local newspapers are full of reports about the Dutchman. “No one knows exactly what happened, but it is certain that the climb can be dangerous without proper preparation. It’s all very sad.”
The Italian carabinieri arrived on the scene after the accident to investigate and quickly came to the conclusion that no crime had been committed. Under the supervision of the public prosecutor, the body of the Dutchman was taken to a mortuary in Valtellina. According to Italian media, an autopsy is not necessary because the cause of death is almost certain.
Mayor Fumasoni says the city government is providing support to the relatives. “The son is fine and is still in Italy for the painful but necessary procedures for the repatriation of his father’s body.” The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet received a request for consular assistance on Tuesday. “We stand ready to provide consular assistance if requested.”
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Tags: Tragedy Italy Dutch father falls cliff sons presence dies shocked
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