Italian mountaineer dies after rockfall on the Matterhorn

An Italian mountaineer fell to his death on the Matterhorn on Monday. The 58-year-old sustained fatal injuries. The man wanted to climb the 4,478-metre peak in canton Valais via the Hörnligrat ridge with a companion as part of a two-man rope team. At around 3,650 metres above sea level, the two alpinists were caught off guard by a rockfall during their ascent, according to the cantonal police. +Sign up to get the most important news from Switzerland directly in your inbox For reasons still unclear, one of the two climbers fell approximately 100 metres down the east face. The rescue team that was called out could only confirm the climber’s death. The public prosecutor’s office, in collaboration with the cantonal police, has launched an investigation to establish the exact circumstances of the accident. A woman had already had a fatal accident on the Matterhorn on Thursday. The mountaineer fell about 100 metres down the east face from an altitude of around 3,460 metres above sea level.