Two Romanian alpinists die in Italy's Gran Paradiso mountain

Emil Gheorghe, 61, and Cornel Roman, a Romanian living in Verona, disappeared on a birthday‑gift expedition to the Gran Paradiso massif in the Italian Alps. The pair set out after celebrating their birthdays – Roman on 9 July and Gheorghe on 16 July – and were last heard from when they left the Vittorio Emanuele II refuge.

Italian alpine rescue teams searched for nearly four days, using helicopters and ground crews. On 13 July they located a deep crevasse about 20 metres long at roughly 3 700 metres altitude. Both bodies were recovered from the crevasse. Sabin Cornoiu of Salvamont România explained that such hidden crevasses, covered by snow, pose a particular danger to climbers. Friends recalled Gheorghe’s message to their group “Camarazii” about meeting in Chamonix, and Roman’s social‑media post “Trece timpul ca nebunul și mă trec și eu.” The tragedy has shocked the Romanian mountaineering community.