Tragedy struck in Italy's Dolomite mountains as an avalanche claimed the lives of five German climbers including a teenage girl and her father.
The climbers, who were in different groups, were climbing Cima Vertana in the Ortler Alps around 4:00pm local time on Saturday when the sudden snow slide struck.
As per BBC, three climbers were completely caught and killed by the avalanche while a father and his 17-year-old daughter were also swept away and later found dead.
Two climbers from another group survived and were able to alert authorities, which led to the rescue operation.
Olaf Reinstadler, from the Sulden Mountain Rescue Service, said the avalanche on the 3,545-meter (11,630-foot) Vertainspitze mountain may have happened as recent snow had piled up but was not firmly attached to the ice underneath, making it unstable.
The bodies of the three climbers in one group were recovered on Saturday after which rescue efforts were paused due to darkness and safety risks.
As per the outlet, Alpine rescue service said that due to fog and low visibility, helicopters could not take off at first light on Sunday.
After the weather improved, rescue teams and avalanche-trained dogs were flown to 2,600 meters and then hiked to search the area.
By late morning, they located and recovered the bodies of the missing father and daughter.
