More than 250 explosive artifacts from World War I have been recovered in the Italian Dolomites as retreating glaciers expose war remnants that had remained buried under mountain ice for over a century. The Italian Army confirmed in a statement that the items included artillery shells of various calibers, hand grenades, and other objects manufactured by both Italian and Austrian forces.
Specialists from the Second Engineer Regiment of the "Julia" Alpine Brigade conducted a specialized operation to locate and remove these devices across various mountainous areas. The campaign began in early August and concluded in October, with teams working on steep terrain, difficult-to-access zones, and high-altitude areas supported by helicopters and emergency services. The primary locations for these discoveries were the Trentino-Alto Adige region, specifically around the Carè Alto and Lares glaciers and the Primiero valley.
While some of the ordnance was discovered by hikers and mountaineers, others were found during recent military search efforts. The recovered weaponry dates back to the "White War," the conflict between Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies in the Alps between 1915 and 1918. These battles took place under extreme conditions of snow and ice, resulting in approximately 180,000 deaths, primarily due to hypothermia, falls, and avalanches.
Although alpinists have found traces of this war for years, the speed and volume of discoveries have accelerated dramatically. Stefano Morosini, a historian at the University of Bergamo and coordinator of the Stelvio National Park heritage project, told The Guardian that this is a direct consequence of global warming. Low winter snowfall and record summer temperatures have contributed to the melting ice, causing more explosives to surface annually. Morosini noted that while some devices had already detonated, many remain unexploded and are extremely dangerous upon re-emergence.
Sources: elDiario.es.