Up to 30 people are feared dead after an Italian ski hotel was buried by an avalanche during a series of earthquakes.

Rescue teams using cross country skis trekked six miles through the night to reach the four-star Hotel Rigopiano, in the remote village of Farindola, in the central Abruzzo region, which has been hit by up to 15ft of snow in a matter of days.

The search operation was launched after four powerful earthquakes hit central Italy yesterday in regions already reeling from deadly quakes last August.

There are reports this morning that as many as 30 people including two children are missing after a 6ft wall of snow engulfed the three-storey hotel, causing part of it to collapse and shifting the building 30ft.

Two people are believed to have been found alive with one flown by helicopter to hospital suffering from hypothermia.

One survivor, 38-year-old Giampaolo Parete, said he was only saved becausehe had gone outside to his car to get something when the wall of snow hit.

He told doctors that his wife and two children were buried in the avalanche.

Specialist mountain police, who have begun extracting bodies after battling through blizzard conditions to reach the hotel on skis or by helicopter, say there were no signs of life inside the building.

Pictures from inside the hotel show how part of the building collapsed under the weight of the avalanche.

Rescue teams are still battling to access the hotel - a task made more difficult by huge snow drifts in the area.

An ambulance was blocked several miles from the hotel, according to Sky, while footage showed emergency services helicopters in the air near the scene.

Lifting a survivor.

G

It's only when it comes 2 tinz like this, sum1 will b hapi is a African where u hardly experience natural disasters lyk this.
RIP 2 d dead.

UnlimitedIfex:
It's only when it comes 2 tinz like this, sum1 will b hapi is a African where u hardly experience natural disasters lyk this.
RIP 2 d dead.

Poverty, diseases, hunger, boko haram, corrupt government officials, militants, kidnappings, unsafe roads, lack of constant power supply, poor educational sector, jungle justice, rituals, nepotism, lack of free and fair justice system etc can all be found in Africa. You were saying?

.

A rescue convoy became stuck in snow drifts as emergency crews scrambled to reach the village.

'Help, we are dying of the cold': Desperate gueststrapped in Italian ski hotel send texts to loved-ones after huge avalanche hits the building.

Rescuers have started the grim task of excavating snow from the interior of the building.

UnlimitedIfex:
It's only when it comes 2 tinz like this, sum1 will b hapi is a African where u hardly experience natural disasters lyk this.
RIP 2 d dead.

My thoughts exactly.

There won't be choppers if there are no fuel.

Relief materials diverted.

This country is cursed.

UnlimitedIfex:
It's only when it comes 2 tinz like this, sum1 will b hapi is a African where u hardly experience natural disasters lyk this.
RIP 2 d dead.

Sometimes I wonder why things like this happen to the countries that can manage such disaster......



Just imagine Africa

chisos

Men this is bad sometimes we don't Value what we have until we loose it Africa is blessed thank you explorer for keeping us informed

hahn:


Poverty, diseases, hunger, boko haram, corrupt government officials, militants, kidnappings, unsafe roads, lack of constant power supply, poor educational sector, jungle justice, rituals, nepotism, lack of free and fair justice system etc can all be found in Africa. You were saying?

Bro u try 2 observe and write all dis tinz abt Africa.
Is there even any gud tin that have eva cumz out of Africa?
All d same, d fact still remains dat, we re d continent and d continent is us. B4 tinz change, it have 2 start 4rm our home,school, religous places etc