Thermal drones seek survivors after deadly Italy glacier collapse-know what are thermal drones
Rescuers used thermal drones Monday to search for possible survivors trapped under ice after an avalanche set off by the collapse of the largest glacier in the Italian Alps killed at least six people and injured eight others.
Authorities said they did not know how many climbers were hit when the glacier gave way Sunday on Marmolada, the highest mountain in the Italian Dolomites.
"We found bodies torn apart, in a shapeless tide of ice and debris stretching over 1,000 metres (3,280 feet)," Gino Comelli from the Alpine Rescue Service told the Corriere della Sera daily Monday.
The disaster struck one day after a record-high temperature of 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded at the glacier's summit.
Emergency services spokeswoman Michela Canova told AFP an "avalanche of snow, ice and rock" hit an access path at a time when there were several roped parties, "some of whom were swept away".
The total number of climbers involved was "not yet known", she said.
Helicopters and sniffer dogs were called off as night fell and amid fears the glacier may still be unstable.
But rescuers used drones equipped with thermal cameras to continue the search overnight and early Monday, Canazei mayor Giovanni Bernard told AFP.
"It is difficult for the rescuers in a dangerous situation", he said.
Thermal imaging drones work on the basis of temperature. They have instruments that tell users about the temperature variations in a specific place. Where they come in handy is during emergency situations. For instance during the Italian glacier tragedy, the thermal drones are being used during the night to locate survivors. Their bodies' temperature will be higher than the ice and the instruments on the thermal drone will be able to locate the
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