According to local police, the man and his climbing partner were hit by a falling ice block on Mont Blanc du Tacul, a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps, on Sunday.
The accident occurred when a sérac – a type of ice tower that forms when a glacier cracks – came loose and dragged the two mountain climbers with it.
The 38-year-old Italian man was later found dead. His partner could, however, be rescued by helicopter.
Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe, is located on the border between France and Italy and reaches just over 4,800 meters above sea level.
