Swiss police warn that heat wave raises danger of falling ice, rock in the Alps

By JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — Police in southwest Switzerland are warning that a heat wave has increased the risk of falling rock and ice in the Alpine region, where it’s been particularly deadly this year for mountaineers and hikers. Most of the victims have been foreigners. Valais regional police say a spike in temperatures and a record high altitude of nearly 5,300 meters (about 17,300 feet) for a bellwether zero-degree Celsius reading over Switzerland has accelerated erosion in the Alps. So far this year, 17 alpinists have lost their lives in the Valais region. That’s more than the annual tallies recorded in each of the five previous years.