ROME — 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 the

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