Rescue teams had feared a 12th person could have been killed, but now say there is no reason to believe the toll will be higher.

The Fassa Valley was holding a day of mourning to honour those who killed in the avalanche on Sunday on the Marmolada, which at more than 3,300m the highest peak in the Dolomites, a range in the eastern Italian Alps straddling the regions of Trento and Veneto.

Much of Italy has been hit by an early-summer heatwave and scientists said climate change was making previously stable glaciers more unpredictable.

“We can say we have been very quick in completing our work and reaching a final tally of 11 deaths,” Giampietro Lago, the head of a scientific police unit drafted to help with the identification process, told a news conference.