A young mountaineer took this grinning selfie and sent it to his family moments before he was killed in an avalanche.
The deadly ice, snow and rock slide was triggered by the collapse of a glacier on Marmolada, a mountain in north-eastern Italy, on Sunday, 3rd July.
The disaster left seven dead and 13 still missing, according to the latest information.
Isola Vicentina mayor Francesco Gonzo reported on Monday that the body of mountaineer Filippo Bari, 27, had been found.
His brother, Andrea, and parents, Emanuela and Giuseppe, revealed he had sent them this smiling selfie taken on the mountainside moments before disaster struck.
Filippo wrote “Look where I am!”
Immediately after sending it, the climber went silent.
In the photo, Filippo is seen wearing a climbing helmet and sunglasses as he poses for the shot with a wide grin.
Behind is the mountain slope and a glacier.
Filippo had gone climbing Marmolada, which at 10,968 feet is the highest mountain in the Dolomites mountain range, with a group of friends.
He lived in Malo, Vicenza province, with his partner, Jelena, and four-year-old son, Filippo. He worked in a hardware store in Isola Vicentina.
He had been planning on conquering Monte Rosa, which straddles Italy and Switzerland, this week.
Andrea Bari said of his brother: “Filippo was a great lover of the mountains and nature in general.
“He had already done several high-altitude outings, always accompanied by experienced people and with all the necessary equipment.”
Hopes of finding survivors are fading more than 36 hours after the disaster, which has provoked renewed conversations about the perils of climate change.
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Story By: William McGee, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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