Update:
People trapped inside the Hotel Rigopiano, which was struck by avalanche, have reportedly sent text messages, giving hope to rescuers to find survivors.
"Help, we're dying of cold," wrote a couple to the rescuers, according to Ansa.
"Some walls were knocked down," reads the text message of a man identified as Fabio Salzetta accoording to Corriere della Sera. "I'm outside with a maintenance worker but you can't see anything of the hotel, there's only a wall of snow in front of me."
(Source: Independent)
Original story:
Many people have been reported dead after an avalanche struck a hotel in Abruzzo, in central Italy, on Wednesday night. The avalanche came soon after a series of earthquakes rattled the country on Wednesday morning.
Reports state that around 30 people were believed to be in the hotel at the time of the incident. SkyTG24 Television said that several bodies were found inside the Hotel Rigopiano, located in the town of Farindola on the Gran Sasso mountain.
Italy earthquakes: Several tremors create panic; schools closed
According to the Italian news agency Ansa, the head of a rescue operation team that reached the site said "there are many dead".
Earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.3, 5.7, 5.3 and 4.8 hit central Italy within the span of little more than an hour on Wednesday. Coming barely months after devastating tremors hit the country leading to hundreds of deaths, Wednesday's earthquakes managed to create quite a bit of panic, with schools being closed and transport disrupted.
They have also led to some destruction of property, with some buildings and towers being damaged. A BBC report said the tremors "follow some 36 hours of steady snowfall in areas around Amatrice and Norcia, towns close to the epicentre".
Further details of the incident are awaited.
