Italy recalls Rigopiano avalanche victims on 5th anniversary

(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 18 - Italy is commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Rigopiano avalanche disaster in Abruzzo that claimed 29 lives on January 18, 2017.
    The avalanche hit the hotel as 40 people, including guests and staff, were inside, while the region was grappling with extreme weather conditions and the resort was engulfed by snow.
    Most of the 29 victims were instantly crushed to death. Eleven people survived.
    Rescuers reached the site several hours after the avalanche and had to travel on foot because roads had been blocked by heavy snow.
    A torchlight procession is taking place at the site of the disaster on Tuesday and ceremonies are also being held in the towns of Montesilvano and Chieti.
    The committee representing relatives of the victims said they are still battling to "give justice to our angels and make sure that what happened at Rigopiano never happens again". (ANSA).