Italy: Last selfie of father, 27, taken before he died in avalanche

This is the smiling last selfie taken by a young mountaineer who died moments later when a glacier collapse triggered an avalanche in Italy.

Tributes have been paid to Father Filippo Bari, 27, who was one of seven people killed and eight injured on 10,968-foot Mount Marmolada.

He messaged his family with the image and said “Look where I am” on Sunday.

But disaster soon struck and brother, Andrea, and parents, Emanuela and Giuseppe, heard nothing more from him.

Filippo is seen wearing a climbing helmet and sunglasses posing behind the mountainside with a big grin.

He was a passionate climber and had visited the highest peak of the Dolomites during a trip with friends.

The construction worker, who lived in Malo with partner Jelena and son Filippo (4), planned to tackle Monte Rosa this week.

Andrea Bari said of his brother: ‘Filippo was a great lover of the mountains and nature in general.

‘He had already made several trips at great heights, always accompanied by experienced people and with all the necessary equipment.’

Up to five people are still missing after the ice, snow and rock slide, hoping to find survivors who fade almost three days after the disaster.

Authorities said conditions in the Italian Alps today are too unstable for search teams and dogs to work on the mountain.

Temperatures are forecast to drop Thursday, reducing the risk of more avalanches.

Trento prosecutor Sandro Raimondi said in an interview on Italian state radio on Wednesday that he has opened a formal investigation to determine whether there was any negligence.

It appears that the avalanche could not have been foreseen at this time, he said.

Mr Raimondi added: ‘The unpredictability at the moment is the main character.’