Off-trail Avalanche Kills Two Skiers in Italy, While Other Tragedies Unfold Globally
Courmayeur, Italy - February 15, 2026 - An off-trail avalanche on the Italian side of Mont Blanc claimed the lives of two skiers and injured another on Sunday, according to officials. The incident occurred in the Couloir Vesses, a well-known freeride route in Courmayeur, near the border between France and Switzerland. The Alpine Rescue agency reported that one of the victims, taken to a hospital in serious condition, later died. Fifteen rescuers, three canine units, and two helicopters participated in the search and rescue efforts.
In other parts of the world, multiple tragedies unfolded. In Gaza, eleven people were killed in Israeli strikes on Sunday morning, according to Palestinian civil defense and health officials. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that a strike on a tent encampment in northern Gaza resulted in at least six fatalities, while another strike in the south of the strip killed five. The Israel Defense Forces stated they targeted terror targets in response to ceasefire violations by Hamas. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of breaching the ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, in northwest Nigeria, armed assailants on motorbikes killed at least 32 people and burned houses and shops during raids on three villages, residents reported. The attacks occurred in Nigeria's Niger State.
In Tumbler Ridge, Canada, the community is reeling from a school shooting. The tragedy prompted a wave of support from neighboring communities and across the country. Jim Caruso, who traveled 700 miles to be there, said, "I wanted to be here to bring some level of comfort... I wanted to hug people, pray for them and, most importantly, to cry with them."
In the Indian Ocean, US military forces boarded a second sanctioned oil tanker after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea. The Pentagon stated the operation targeted illicit oil connected to Venezuela. The vessel, the Veronica III, had fled a Venezuelan raid. Venezuela has faced US sanctions on its oil for several years, relying on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains. Donald Trump ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers in December to pressure the president, Nicolás Maduro, before Maduro was apprehended in January during a US military operation.
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