Local time on the morning of March 30, German and Austrian tourists discovered a body in the avalanche area near the Mezdi Pass in the Funes Valley of the Dolomites in Italy. The body was confirmed to be that of Huang Peng, a 28-year-old Chinese doctoral student who went missing on January 19. Huang Peng’s sister has not responded to this news.
According to several Italian netizens citing local media reports, on March 30, the body of 28-year-old Chinese student Huang Peng was found in an avalanche near the Mezdi Pass in the Funes Valley.
Reports from Red Star News stated that on the evening of March 30, the relevant department responsible for the case officially confirmed the identity of the deceased. The clothing and equipment on the body completely matched what Huang Peng was wearing when he went missing.
According to Euobserver News, an informed source stated that local search and rescue personnel found Huang Peng’s passport on the body.
In the early morning of March 31 Beijing time, Huang Peng’s friend, using the alias “Mi Li,” expressed deep sadness upon receiving confirmation from local police about Huang Peng’s tragic fate.
Mi Li mentioned that when Huang Peng’s sister came to Italy to search for him, she had been helping and liaising with the police as a volunteer. She also saw the news published by local media.
After the local police confirmed the body to be that of Huang Peng, Huang Peng’s sister’s phone went unanswered.
Huang Peng arrived in the Dolomites in Italy on January 19 and lost contact with the outside world thereafter.
In February this year, Huang Peng’s sister and other relatives traveled from China to the Gardena Valley in Italy, hoping to find clues to locate him.
Ms. Huang, Huang Peng’s sister, revealed that her brother seemed to have gone to the Dolomites to collect “thesis materials.” She mentioned that her brother had outdoor hiking experience during university and had ventured into harsh environments before.
Huang Peng, from Xingyi Village in Guizhou, was a doctoral student in the School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering at Sichuan University. In August 2025, he was awarded a scholarship by the China Scholarship Council and was sent to the University of Tuixia in Italy for a 15-month academic exchange program.
Online commentators expressed their condolences, saying, “Condolences to the family, it’s such a pity.”