Italy weighs up risks to lives and livelihoods after Marmolada tragedy

Authorities keen to avoid repeat of fatal glacier fall and avalanche but need to protect local tourism industry

The summer season was just getting into the swing in the mountain towns based around the Marmolada, the highest peak in the Italian Dolomites, when a huge mass of ice from a glacier on its north side snapped off last Sunday afternoon, causing a fatal avalanche.

Hotels, restaurants and mountain refuges were packed, and trails busy with hikers, climbers and cyclists, many flocking to the mountains in search of slightly fresher temperatures during Italy's intense heatwave.