Five German mountaineers died after being hit by an avalanche in South Tyrol, in northern Italy , rescuers said on Sunday.

Three victims — two men and a woman — had already been recovered dead on Saturday, while the bodies of two other missing people, a man and his 17-year-old daughter, were found on Sunday morning.

“They had been dragged to the lower part of the gully where the avalanche occurred,” said Alpine rescue spokesman Federico Catania . “Rescue teams are now returning to the valley, also considering the worsening weather conditions at high altitude.”

The mountaineers, all Germans , were hit by the avalanche at about 4 p.m. on Saturday while climbing near the Cima Vertana, in the Ortles mountains, at an altitude of more than 3,500 meters (11,500 feet). It is unknown why

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