Chinese PhD Student Missing for 10 Days in Italian Alps

A 28-year-old Chinese doctoral student has been missing for 10 days after traveling to the Italian Alps, according to reports from the Yangtze Evening Post.

Huang Peng, a visiting scholar at Tuscia University in Italy, lost contact with friends and family after arriving in the Val Gardena area of Bolzano province on January 19.

Local Carabinieri and mountain rescue teams have launched a search operation, but no traces of the student have been found so far.

Huang, a PhD candidate at Sichuan University who arrived in Italy last August, was described as quiet and slender, standing about 170 centimeters tall.

He left Viterbo early on January 19, taking a train to Rome before transferring to a high-speed train to Bolzano for a trip. He was scheduled to return to school on January 23 but has not been heard from since leaving. His phone is off, and he has not replied to WeChat messages.

The alarm was raised on January 20 when the owner of the accommodation where he was staying reported that he had not returned.

His last known location was pinpointed on January 21 near Ortisei in Val Gardena.

The search has been expanded across the valley, a popular destination in the Dolomites known for its harsh winter conditions, with temperatures often dropping to minus 10 to 20 degrees Celsius.

Tuscia University expressed "deep concern" over the disappearance.

"In this worrying moment, the university extends its deepest sympathy to Huang Peng's family and the academic community, and remains hopeful about the ongoing search," the university said in a statement.