Snowmobile Horror As 6 Die In Alpine Ravine

Six Russians vacationing in an Italian Alpine ski village were killed after the sled they were towing by a snowmobile hit a barrier and flew over into a low level area.

ROME (USATODAY) — Six Russians were killed and two seriously injured when the snowmobile and sled they were riding veered off an Italian Alpine ski slope at night, slammed into a barrier and flew through the air into a ravine.

The accident occurred Friday night and when rescuers arrived at the scene six of the victims were found dead on the slope of Mount Cermis, in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northeast Italy, said Cavalese Fire Department Cmdr. Roberto Marchi.

“It is clear that the fundamental cause is recklessness and imprudence,” Marchi told Sky TG24 TV in an interview on the slope Saturday. It is labeled “pista nera” or black ski run, indicating a level of steepness and other difficult conditions suitable only for the most experienced skiers.

The accident comes only one week after a 10-year-old girl lost her life after sledding into a newly installed barrier at a Las Vegas area ski slope.