Thread: Italy earthquakes: 'many dead' after avalanche hits hotel

Up to 30 people believed to have been in Hotel Rigopiano in Abruzzo when avalanche struck after series of quakes

A number of people were killed after an avalanche struck a hotel in central Italy after a series of earthquakes, according to reports.

Up to 30 people were believed to be in the building when the avalanche hit on Wednesday night.

SkyTG24 Television said several bodies were found inside the Hotel Rigopiano in Farindola town on the Gran Sasso mountain in the central Abruzzo region.

The Italian news agency Ansa quoted the head of a rescue squad that reached the hotel as saying “there are many dead”.

No further details were immediately available.

This is a breaking story. More details soon…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...valanche-hotel

On BBC radio 4 Jeremy Vine show this was a talking point, seems the BBC is trying to cover this story as the rescue is ongoing, in blizzard conditions.
Earthquake was the prime reason for launching the snow avalanche.

The quakes have been building for a few days now, and talk yesterday of a volcano showing signs of activity. Let's hope that this is worst of it.

RIP.

10 People Found Alive in Italy Hotel Buried by Avalanche

Italian rescue teams say 10 people, including two children, were found alive Friday in a hotel buried by an avalanche nearly two days ago in the central part of the country.

Two of the 10 survivors have been pulled from the snow and rescuers have been talking with the others.

Workers dug through deep snow and debris overnight in their search for about 30 missing people, including four children, staying at the luxury mountain resort.

The avalanche that hit the four-star Hotel Rigopiano in the town of Farindole on Wednesday was likely triggered by a series of strong earthquakes that rattled the central region of Abruzzo earlier in the day.

Television footage from the inside of the wrecked hotel showed massive mounds of snow pushing through a hotel wall into the lobby.

Officials have confirmed finding two bodies, while Italian media said two more were located overnight. The only known survivors until Friday were two men who had been outside the hotel when the avalanche struck.

An investigation into the tragedy has been opened by a court in Pescara, with some saying the emergency response was slow. The first rescuers arrived amid a snowstorm on skis early Thursday, about 11 hours after the avalanche hit.

10 People Found Alive in Italy Hotel Buried by Avalanche