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Two American skiers lost while backcountry riding in Italy near an Olympic venue in Livigno were rescued Tuesday night with the help of thermal imaging cameras and drones.
The harrowing scene began when the two male skiers, who were not identified, became “stranded at high altitude” after they “lost their bearings” in the dark, Vigili del Fuoco, Italy’s national fire and rescue service, said in a translated statement.
Officials said the men provided their GPS coordinates and with the help of the Alpine Rescue Corps and the use of drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras, the skiers were quickly located and rescued.
According to local reports, because of the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, rescue protocols already in place for the Olympics allowed for a quicker response and rescue.
Officials said the skiers returned unscathed.
Livigno, a ski town in the Italian Alps near the Swiss border, is one of the key host locations for the Winter Olympics. The area, with an altitude of nearly 6,000 feet, plays host to all freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions and has three hotels that were transformed into an Olympic village.
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Tuesday’s rescue comes not long after a record 13 backcountry skiers, climbers and hikers died in the Italian mountains earlier this month. Fresh snowfall and unstable snowpack have contributed to 10 avalanches in the region.
‘’Under such conditions, the passage of a single skier, or natural overloading from the weight of snow, can be sufficient to trigger an avalanche,’’ Italy’s Alpine Rescue Corps spokesman Federico Catania recently told The Associated Press.
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“There is no danger for people skiing within managed ski resorts, and in particular no risks to the Olympic sites,” Catania said. “All of these areas are constantly monitored and are generally safe regardless of Olympic events.’’
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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