Premier Paolo Gentiloni expressed pride in Italy's emergency and rescue services on Wednesday following the recent emergencies caused by snow and earthquakes in central Italy and said "every effort" had been made to save lives after the Hotel Rigopiano in Abruzzo was hit by an avalanche. "We are proud of our rescuers, they are exemplary Italian citizens," Gentiloni said as he reported to the Senate on the situation in central Italy. "The gratitude to the 11,000 people who have intervened to save lives must be strong and unanimous...
"I think every effort possible has been made to try to save the missing people (at Rigopiano) from the human, organizational and technical point of view". Pescara investigators are probing why appeals for help from the hotel before and after the avalanche were apparently underestimated. The disaster has claimed 24 lives and five people are missing. "Should there have been delays and responsibilities, they will be brought to light by judicial inquiries," Gentiloni said.
"The government does not fear the truth, which is needed to do better and not to poison the wells. "I agree with the search for truth but not the desire for scapegoats and avengers, in part because history is quick to transform avengers into scapegoats".
The government is to approve an emergency decree "next week" following the earthquakes, he said.
He also said the government will look into the reasons for the blackout experienced by 177,000 people in the wake of the heavy snowfall. "At the height of the crisis on January 19, the number of users not connected to the grid reached the considerable number of 177,000, while now only a few hundred in the Teramo area are still without power," Gentiloni told the Senate. "It is right that the government should verify to what extent (the blackout) was due to the exceptional circumstances and to what extent these highlighted more general problems of maintenance," he said.
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