Discussions

Продолжается строительство горнолыжного курорта в Арсеньеве:
Летом надо строить! Сезон в самом разгаре......

«Очередные» рекорды Красной Поляны. Выстоявшим День Защитника в очередях посвящается:
Добавлю, что цена на ски пасс , несмотря на закрытые трассы Золотой до...

Архыз: ски-пасс на три дня = 2400 рублей:
Мы едем в Архыз...


Яндекс.Метрика
2026-02-22

Avalanche Death of Italian Hotel Employee in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Adds Strain to Cross-Border Relationship




A 25-year-old Italian man working at one of Switzerland’s most prestigious hotels has been found dead after being swept away by an avalanche near St. Moritz, bringing days of anguish for his family to a tragic end.



Related: Massive Avalanche Kills 3 in Popular Austrian Ski Resort St. Anton



Luciano Capasso, originally from Qualiano near Naples, was an employee at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, the landmark luxury hotel overlooking the Engadin valley. An experienced mountaineer and former soldier, he had taken advantage of a day off last Wednesday to go on an early-morning excursion at around 2,700 metres. When he failed to return, concern quickly mounted.

According to the Graubünden Cantonal Police, Capasso was reported missing on Thursday, February 19, shortly before 10 a.m. in the Pontresina area. An avalanche had occurred the previous day within the confined search zone. After several days of operations involving mountain rescuers from the Swiss Alpine Club with avalanche dogs, as well as Rega and Heli Bernina helicopters, Capasso was found dead on Sunday afternoon beneath a mass of snow in Val d’Arlas.



Related: The State of the Swiss Snowpack: Deep Totals & Unstable Layers



Police said he had been caught in a size 4 avalanche on the European five-point scale. A size 4 avalanche is classified as “large”: it is capable of destroying railway carriages, trucks, buildings and extensive sections of forest. Such avalanches can run long distances and bury large areas under deep debris.

According to the cantonal police statement, an investigation has been opened by the public prosecutor’s office into the accident. However, Capasso’s family is alleging that Swiss authorities have not been taking the incident seriously and are not investigating it.

Capasso’s disappearance had triggered emotional appeals across Italy. St. Moritz is just an hour from the Italian border and sees many seasonal employees from neighboring Italy, drawn by high salaries and a strong Swiss Franc. His mother, Raffaella, publicly offered a €10,000 reward for information and shared the last known GPS coordinates, urging mountain guides, volunteer search teams, and even drone operators to help. “As a mother, I ask you with my heart in my hand to help me. Even the smallest detail can be decisive,” she wrote in an appeal posted on social media. Offering a massive reward to private individuals is an unusual move that could possibly endanger other people. Search efforts in such conditions are conducted by professional rescuers equipped with avalanche dogs, probes, transceivers and air support, as uncoordinated civilian intervention can expose additional people to serious danger.

In the early days of the search, the family expressed frustration, alleging delays and inadequate—and at times dismissive—responses from local authorities. They claimed poor weather had been cited as a reason for limited initial intervention. Swiss police, however, confirmed that a multi-day search operation was carried out involving specialist rescue teams and air support. According to the brother’s account, the family was told to “prepare for a funeral,” and he claims Swiss authorities implied that Luciano Capasso had been ill-prepared. His brother Emmanuel Capasso rejected suggestions of imprudence, describing Luciano as well-equipped and highly trained. He said Capasso had previously climbed Mont Blanc and was carrying a military-issued GPS device.

The case has drawn wide-spread attention in Italy, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Consulate General in Zurich becoming involved. Relationships between Switzerland and Italy have been strained since the devastating club fire in Crans-Montana on New Year’s Eve which killed 41 young people, including many Italians. Italians are blaming Swiss authorities for poor regulatory oversight of fire safety standards. This recent incident adds fuel to an already strained relationship between the neighboring countries.



Related: Fire in Bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Leaves at Least 40 Dead



Avalanche danger in Switzerland has been elevated for many days following a storm front that dropped up to 2.5 meters in the last week. While the more snow fell in the west of Switzerland in the canton of Valais/Wallis, the avalanche danger in the east of Switzerland in the canton of Graubünden was at level 4 of 5 “high,” due to an unstable base layer with at least a meter of fresh now that had not settled yet.

 



The post Avalanche Death of Italian Hotel Employee in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Adds Strain to Cross-Border Relationship appeared first on SnowBrains.

Ссылка на источник: https://snowbrains.com/avalanche-death-of-italian-hotel-employee-in-st-moritz-switzerland-adds-strain-to-cross-border-relationship/


Read also:


Webcams

Горная Саланга
Salanga

News

Avalanche Death of Italian Hotel Employee in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Adds Strain to Cross-Border Relationship    (2026-02-22)
[UPDATE] All 9 Bodies Have Been Recovered from Castle Peak Avalanche, CA    (2026-02-22)
Heliskier Killed by Avalanche Near Revelstoke, BC    (2026-02-21)
Massive Avalanche Kills 3 in Popular Austrian Ski Resort St. Anton    (2026-02-21)
Investigation Begins Into Deadly Castle Peak, CA, Avalanche as Families of Victims Speak Out    (2026-02-20)
11-Year-Old Girl Killed in Avalanche Near Brighton Ski Resort as Utah Marks Another Backcountry Tragedy    (2026-02-20)
Nikita Filippov won the silver medal in the ski mountaineering sprint    (2026-02-20)
[UPDATE] Castle Peak Avalanche Recovery Ongoing & Forest Closure Issued as Communities Mourn 9 Dead    (2026-02-20)
[UPDATE] Castle Peak Avalanche Recovery Ongoing & Forest Closure Issued as Communities Mourn 9 Dead    (2026-02-20)
Father Killed in Utah Avalanche While Snowmobiling with Son, Marking Season’s First Fatality    (2026-02-19)
8 Skiers Found Dead After Castle Peak Avalanche in California With One Still Missing For What is Now The Deadliest Avalanche Accident in State History    (2026-02-18)
6 Skiers Safely Rescued From California’s Castle Peak Avalanche After Hours in Severe Storm—Search for Missing 9 Continues    (2026-02-18)
10 Skiers Still Missing After Huge Avalanche on Castle Peak, CA, Caught Group of 16    (2026-02-18)
2 Foreign Skiers Killed in Avalanche at La Grave, France, After Entering “Strongly Discouraged” Zone With Guide    (2026-02-17)
Powder Cloud From Huge Avalanche Sweeps Across Lift Line in Courmayeur, Italy, as Danger Remains High Across Alps    (2026-02-17)
Switzerland Declares Highest Avalanche Warning Level in Parts of Wallis/Valais After Heavy Snowfall    (2026-02-17)
Massive Avalanche Hits Val Veny, Courmayeur, Italy, Leaving 3 Dead    (2026-02-16)
Avalanche Derails Train in Switzerland, Leaving 5 Injured    (2026-02-16)
2 Snowboarders Killed in Avalanche on Stubai Glacier, Austria    (2026-02-16)
Avalanche Derails Train in Switzerland, Leaving 30 Injured    (2026-02-16)
Evacuation Ordered for Swiss Mountain Village Amid Elevated Avalanche Danger    (2026-02-16)
Massive Avalanche Hits Val Veny, Courmayeur, Italy: Two Confirmed Dead, One in Critical Condition    (2026-02-16)
Strong Avalanche Risk Persists Across French Alps and Pyrenees    (2026-02-16)
Strong Avalanche Risk Persists Across French Alps and Pyrenees    (2026-02-16)
Strong Avalanche Risk Persists Across French Alps and Pyrenees    (2026-02-16)
Strong Avalanche Risk Persists Across French Alps and Pyrenees    (2026-02-16)
Extreme Caution Urged: Major Avalanche Conditions Grip the French Alps    (2026-02-14)
2 British Tourists Die in Massive Avalanche That Killed 3 in Val d’Isère, France    (2026-02-13)
Colorado Avalanche Information Center Warns of Heightened Avalanche Danger Over Presidents Day Weekend    (2026-02-12)
French Ski Resorts Close Due to Extreme Avalanche Danger    (2026-02-12)
Drink water

Snow videos

Chacha Land 2025
  With nothing guiding them but a call from a mysterious lady of the mountains, Nikolai Schirmer, Lucas Wachs and Sam Favret set off to an abandoned town in the Caucasus ranges of Georgia. At the end of the road, winter begins…
Chacha Land