Rigopiano: Up to 30 Missing as Avalanche Buries Hotel in Central Italy

Up to 30 people are missing after a hotel in Abruzzo, central Italy, was hit by an avalanche, apparently triggered by an earthquake, rescuers say.

Rescue teams battled overnight to reach the Rigopiano hotel, with the first of them arriving on skis. Snow dislodged by the avalanche had blocked the roads in.

One person has been pulled dead from the snow. Two have been found alive but most others appear to be still buried.

One official said there were “many dead” in the hotel.

Central Italy was hit by a succession of four earthquakes on January 18 and further tremors were reported overnight.

The earthquakes have compounded problems resulting from recent storms, which have brought down power lines and cut off villages.

Rescue operations are under way in other parts of the region as well.

Image source CBS News

The roof on the four-star spa hotel, close to the Gran Sasso mountain in the Abruzzo region, partly collapsed on January 18. Rescuers said at least 20 tourists and seven staff were inside at the time.

Crews had been calling out to survivors but there was no response.

Local residents in Farindola alerted emergency services.

The first victim, a man, was pulled out at about 09:30AM local time on January 19, Corriere della Sera reported.

Antonio Crocetta, the head of a mountain rescue team, was quoted as saying: “There are many deaths.”

There were children among the guests, and media reports say children are among the dead.

According to Italian media, some guests at the hotel had been able to send text messages after they were trapped.

A snowstorm and blocked routes made access to the hotel difficult. Vehicles struggled to get through the snow, and some rescuers eventually resorted to skis.

Italian media said the first rescuers only reached the hotel on skis at 04:00AM on January 19.

Video footage showed them shoveling through a wall of snow.

Two people were found alive outside the damaged building, which was surrounded by fallen trees. They were taken to hospital, one suffering from hypothermia.

The civil protection agency said it was now trying to get rescue vehicles to the hotel. There are reports that there is an ambulance a few miles away, which cannot yet reach the building.

The January 18 quakes came after the regions of Abruzzo, Marche and Lazio were hit by days of heavy snow.

One person in the area died and another was reported missing.

The same region was hit by a strong earthquake in August last year, when 298 people died.

Nancy Clayson

Nancy is a young, full of life lady who joined the team shortly after the BelleNews site started to run. She is focused on bringing up to light all the latest news from the technology industry. In her opinion the hi-tech expresses the humanity intellectual level. Nancy is an active person; she enjoys sports and delights herself in doing gardening in her spare time, as well as reading, always searching for new topics for her articles.

Recent Posts

Donald Trump and Elon Musk Celebrate Election Victory at UFC 309

Image source: Wikimedia Commons President-elect Donald Trump celebrated his election victory at the Ultimate Fighting…

5 days ago

White House 2024: Donald Trump Wins, Kamala Harris Calls Him to Concede Election

Millions of voters across the US chose to return Donald Trump to the White House…

2 weeks ago

Who Won? Donald Trump Declares Victory as He Addresses Jubilant Supporters in Florida

Donald Trump declares victory in the US election as he addresses jubilant supporters in Florida.…

2 weeks ago

Stocks Soaring as Donald Trump Closes in on US Victory

Stocks around the world are rising as Donald Trump appears to be on the cusp…

2 weeks ago

Who Won? Kamala Harris Cancels Election Night Party as Path to Victory Narrows

Donald Trump has won Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia and taken a lead over Kamala…

2 weeks ago

Quincy Jones Dead at 91

Quincy Jones, the celebrated musician and producer who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray…

2 weeks ago