Glacier collapses in Italian Alps, at least 6 reported dead

Parts of a mountain glacier collapsed in the Italian Alps on Sunday amid record high temperatures, local authorities said, with local media reporting that at least six people had been killed.

"Rescue operations are in progress following a large ice avalanche involving excursionists", the Trento provincial government said, adding that there was likely to be a "heavy toll" of injuries or deaths.

The avalanche took place on the Marmolada, a mountain of more than 3,300 metres in the Dolomite range in the eastern part of the Italian Alps, between the regions of Trento and Veneto.

Injured people have been taken to nearby hospitals in the towns of Belluno, Treviso, Trento and Bolzano, said the president of Veneto, Luca Zaia.

It was not immediately possible to confirm the number of victims.

An early summer heatwave in Italy saw temperatures on the Marmolada touch 10 degrees Celsius on Saturday, Zaia said.