Couple found dead after plunging off 300 metre cliff
Family members raised the alarm after the married couple failed to return home.
A couple has been found dead at the bottom of a ravine after they fell 300 metres while hiking in the mountains, two days after they were reported missing by their family.
The bodies of Roberto Meo Colombo and Fabrizia De Lio, who were keen mountain climbers, were found at around 4pm on Tuesday (local time) after a gruelling 36-hour search. Family members raised the alarm after the pair, who married four years ago, failed to return home by 9 pm on Sunday after they took off for a walk in San Bernolfo, Italy.
The couple, who were "madly in love" hadn’t told anyone their planned route and were unreachable on their phones, making it hard to locate them. The hunt was further complicated by adverse weather conditions that made it impossible to survey the area from the air.
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Couple found covered in snow
Search efforts were temporarily suspended on Monday after rescue workers scoured an area more than 2,500 metres above sea level. They were eventually spotted by workers who had been taken to the area by helicopter. The victims were found covered in snow above Bagni di Vinadio in Cuneo, Italy not far from where the search had been focussed.
Exactly what happened remains unknown, but it's believed the couple fell roughly 300 metres off a cliff and died on Sunday, as the sub-zero temperatures, snow, and tall plunge would have left them with little chance of survival.
Roberto, 53, and Fabrizia, 38, had been married for four years and were keen mountain walkers. Roberto was the CEO of a textile company in Costigliole Saluzzo and his wife was a labour consultant. Fabrizia was originally from Busca, and apparently, knew the area well.
with William McGee/JamPress
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