Melting Dolomite glaciers surface cache of first world war munitions

The Italian army has recovered and defused roughly 250 unexploded first world war shells exposed by retreating glaciers in the Dolomites this summer.

• The Julia Alpine brigade recovered and neutralised 250 explosives across Canal San Bovo and glacier locations in Trentino Alto Adige, following hiker sightings.
• The cache included 18 Italian 75mm artillery shells and 37 Thevetot mortar shells, a French-made device supplied to the Italian royal army.
• Stefano Morosini, a University of Bergamo professor and Stelvio national park heritage coordinator, said the emergence is a consequence of global heating, with more dangerous artefacts appearing each year.
• Authorities advised hikers and mountaineers never to touch explosive devices found in the mountains and to report discoveries to police.