30 Missing in Italy avalanche: ‘We’ve heard no replies, no voices’

Rescuers have yet to account for up to 30 people feared dead after an avalanche smothered a ski hotel in the Abruzzo region in Central Italy.  Four earthquakes hit the mountainous area on Wednesday, triggering an avalanche that completely covered the upscale Rigopiano Hotel, destroying the building and trapping tourists and staff in the debris. According to local reports, rescue efforts were severely hampered by a snow storm and a team only reached the hotel on skis through forested slopes in the early hours of this morning. As it stands, only two survivors have been accounted for and ambulances have been forced to park more than nine kilometres away from the site because of the snow. Italian news agency Ansa is reporting that some guests were able to send messages after the collapse, one reading “Help, we’re dying of cold.”

Hotel #Rigopiano. #Gentiloni chiedo a tutti impegno e rispetto https://t.co/J20JrUTtn5 pic.twitter.com/3rVfMEOWkr

— IlSole24ORE (@sole24ore) January 19, 2017

"We haven't been able to do too much. The structure has collapsed. It's more like a pile of rubble than a hotel," said Antonio Crocetta, of the Alpine Rescue squad. "The hotel is almost completely destroyed. We've called out but we've heard no replies, no voices. We're digging and looking for people," he told Reuters. It's now believed that there was seven staff working at the hotel at the time and potentially more guests.

Rescue workers have dug out a survivor of the avalanche in Italy pic.twitter.com/CKTEnVWgBc

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) January 19, 2017

This is the second time in five months that an earthquake has devastated the Abruzzo region. 298 people died in the last quake on August 24.