The accelerated melting of glaciers in the Dolomites in northern Italy, due to heatwaves, has revealed ammunition from World War I, including 250 unexploded bombs and shells over the past months, following reports from mountaineers about suspicious objects in mountainous areas.
The newspaper Il Messaggero quoted the Italian Army's "Julia Alpine Brigade" as saying that hikers, nature experts, and mountaineers found artillery shells, mortar rounds, and other ammunition in the "Trentino Alto Adige" region, noting that the brigade was able to remove and neutralize these munitions in stages over the past months after receiving reports.
Mortar shell marks start of removal operations
According to the Italian Army, the first unexploded munition found was a 90-millimeter mortar shell, discovered after a car rolled and fell into a valley near "Caldonazzo," following the driver's failure to engage the handbrake when parking. While rescue teams were working to extract the car, they noticed the shell at the base of a tree, before specialized explosive ordnance disposal teams removed it.
The army added that the other munitions date back to the "White War," fought between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies between 1915 and 1918, and were concentrated in an area frequented by hikers, covered by snow and ice for more than a century.
Removal operations in rugged terrain
For his part, a spokesperson for the Julia Alpine Brigade explained that experts specialized in rescue operations and high-risk military operations in high altitudes began decontamination operations last August, finding munitions on paths frequented by climbers, hikers, and workers in mountainous areas.
According to the Italian Army, the munitions removal campaign required advanced mountaineering skills to deal with inaccessible sites located at high altitudes and within extremely difficult terrain.
The army pointed out that the discovery of a cache containing 75-millimeter artillery shells in the area between "Cima del Frati" peak and "Forcella Ferolo" mountain pass, near the "Bione" area, led to the closure of a popular mountain climbing trail last October.
Decontamination operations linked to weather conditions
The army noted that the discovery of munitions from both World War I and World War II occurs annually, but specialized operations to deal with them can only be carried out in late summer and early autumn, when weather conditions allow for safer execution, before snowfall begins in late October.
According to local authorities, lower snowfall rates during the winter of 2025, along with higher temperatures in the summer of 2026, contributed to the accelerated melting of glaciers in the Trentino region.
Awareness campaigns continue to warn hikers and local residents in mountainous areas not to touch or move suspicious munitions if found, urging them to report to local authorities and attach photos of the discovered munitions.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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