Italian mountain refuges record two fatal medical emergencies

On 2 August, 57‑year‑old truck driver Gianfranco Schiavi suffered a suspected heart attack while hiking near Rifugio Almici in the province of Brescia. Despite rapid response by the alpine rescue service and a helicopter from Como, he was pronounced dead at the Poliambulanza hospital in Brescia. His family, well known in the Onore community, consented to donate his corneas.

In a separate incident in Alta Lessinia, a 59‑year‑old man from Mezzane di Sotto collapsed at Rifugio Podesteria. A volunteer from the Verona alpine rescue team began CPR, and an emergency helicopter arrived, but resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful and the man was declared dead on site. Both events involved Italy’s Corpo Nazionale del Soccorso Alpino and local emergency services.

The two deaths highlight the risks faced by hikers in the Italian Alps and the swift but sometimes insufficient response of mountain rescue teams.