Alpine rescue personnel
early on Friday continued to dig for survivors under the snow
and rubble at the Hotel Rigopiano in the Abruzzo town of
Farindola, which was hit by a massive avalanche probably due to
Wednesday's earthquakes in central Italy.
"We have been working since last night under extreme
conditions to look for survivors", said Matteo Gasparini, who is
in charge of alpine rescue services in Valdossola and who has
been working on location since Thursday and through the night.
"Dogs are often perceiving smells but we will have to dig for
more than four, five meters before we reach the ground", he
added.
His team, along with alpine rescue operators from Canavese,
Cuneo, Mondovì, Valsusa and Valsangone have been deployed since
Thursday after the National coordination of civil protection
authorities asked for more personnel to boost rescue efforts.
Two bodies have been retrieved from the hotel site while at
least 25 people are still missing, possibly as many as 34,
according to Mario Mazzocca, Abruzzo's regional undersecretary
in charge of civil protection.
Two people were rescued on Thursday.
An avalanche probably triggered by fresh earthquakes in
central Italy on Wednesday swept away the luxury mountain resort
hotel in Farindola in Abruzzo's Gran Sasso National Park.
The first people to reach the hotel were local alpine rescue
personnel, who got there with skis because of the heavy snow
that has hit the area.
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