Melting ice in the Dolomites reveals 250 explosive devices and soldiers’ bodies from World War I

The glaciers of Italy’s Dolomites are retreating and, along with the layers of ice, are revealing dangerous traces of World War I. Hundreds of unexploded munitions have appeared on the surface, while the bodies of soldiers preserved for more than a century have also been found beneath the ice. This summer alone, the Italian army identified and neutralized 250 explosive devices. They included Italian artillery shells and mortar bombs manufactured in France. The searches were carried out by the “Julia” mountain brigade in the mountainous areas and glaciers of the Trentino-Alto Adige region. The objects were initially reported by mountaineers, who noticed suspicious items during summer excursions, particularly in the San Bovo Canal, in the Primiero Valley, in the eastern part of Trentino.