A tragic incident occurred in Austria where a tourist lost his life after being buried under an avalanche. Federico Giubilato, who was about to celebrate his 42nd birthday, was trapped under the massive 820ft-wide snow slide on Saturday alongside his friend. While his companion sustained a hand injury and managed to free himself, Federico, hailing from Bassano del Grappa, Italy, unfortunately did not survive.
The two friends were skiing off the designated path at Marchkopf in Austria when the avalanche struck on Saturday afternoon, mirroring a recent fatal avalanche elsewhere. Despite being an avid extreme sports enthusiast, Federico had faced a serious injury in 2019, which took him over two years to recover from.
During the incident, both men were trapped under approximately 5.2ft (1.6m) of snow and ice. While Federico’s unnamed friend managed to escape and seek help, it took the mountain rescue team around half an hour to arrive at the scene with helicopters. Sadly, by the time Federico was dug out, he had already passed away.
Federico, a mechanical engineer with a passion for mountaineering, had shared his thoughts online about the unpredictability of life following his previous injury. The tragic incident in Marchkopf, near Hochfügen in the Zillertal ski area, comes shortly after another deadly avalanche claimed the life of Kai Smart, 23, in Japan.
Kai’s father, John, announced the heartbreaking news of his son’s passing on Instagram, describing Kai as a courageous and adventurous individual beloved by many for his diverse interests and positive influence on others.
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