7 Die in Avalanches in Italian Alps

Weather also postpones fuel extraction from cruise ship

(NEWSER) - Rough seas delayed efforts to search and salvage the Costa Concordia cruise ship near Italy's Tuscan coast today, MSNBC reports. Rescue divers, who have found a 17th body on board, made for shore to await better weather conditions. The high winds also postponed plans to start extracting 500,000 gallons of fuel from the Concordia. A barge with pumping equipment is expected to reattach itself to the capsized ship and pump fuel out next week. But that may take up to a month. More»

Unstable snow making slopes dangerous

(NEWSER) - Two Montana snowmobilers and a cross-country skier have been killed in three separate avalanches. The body of the skier was recovered by Montana authorities just across the border in Wyoming after his wife reported he vanished in an avalanche as they skied together. Two hours earlier, a snowmobiler died nearby in southern Montana after he was buried for 12 minutes before his companions could dig him out. Another snowmobiler, 20 years old, triggered the slide that killed him, reports the Billings Gazette . Slopes in the area have been under a serious avalanche watch because of an unstable snow pack. Authorities recommend skiers and snowmobilers always travel with a partner and carry a shovel and an "avalanche transceiver" that emits a beacon so friends can locate those buried beneath the snow, reports KFBB-TV . More»

Rescue crews work to free the hundreds still trapped

(AP) - The death toll from massive avalanches that blocked a mountain pass north of Kabul soared to 157, as hundreds more remained trapped in their snowbound vehicles, Afghan officials said today. Rescuers have recovered 157 bodies from the Salang Pass, a key road that connects the Afghan capital with the north, over the past two days, according to the Interior Ministry. The number of dead has more than doubled from the 64 reported yesterday, as rescue teams scrambled to reach survivors. More»

(NEWSER) - A train carrying liquefied natural gas derailed in Italy tonight, causing explosions that killed at least six people and injured dozens more, the Times of London reports. The train jumped the tracks as it was leaving the station in the northern town of Viareggio, triggering the explosion of two gas-filled carriages and engulfing nearby homes in flames. Officials say damaged tracks or faulty brakes may have caused the accident. More»

(NEWSER) - Aftershocks in the Abruzzo region of Italy this morning, including one with a magnitude of 5.2, hampered ongoing rescue efforts and spooked refugees still in the area, Reuters reports. Officials closed off the center of L’Aquila, where the latest tremors continued to damage the hard-hit town. Though rescuers fear there are no more survivors from Monday’s quake, efforts will continue through Sunday. More»