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Avalanche in Italy: A visual guide to how the disaster and rescue mission unfolded
EUROPE

As many as 30 people were trapped in a mountain hotel in central Italy after an avalanche buried them under tons of snow

The Associated Press

This article was published more than 7 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.

Where it happened

The three-storey Hotel Rigopiano lies in Italy’s mountainous and earthquake-prone Abruzzo region, shown here on the main road to Monterale. The area has been pummeled by more than a metre of snow in recent days. On Tuesday, the hotel posted photos of the recent snowfall, calling it “a dream Tuesday. Snow is giving us spectacular scenes.” It advised guests that roads were still passable but snow tires were required with chains for cars.

When disaster struck

On Wednesday morning, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck, its epicentre about 50 kilometres away from the hotel. It wasn’t immediately clear if the temblors triggered the avalanche. Here, the hotel is seen from the air in a handout image obtained on the Vigili del Fuoco Twitter account on Thursday.

Corriere della Sera newspaper quoted a text message from a man inside the hotel as saying: “Some walls were knocked down.” Here, a wall of snow is shown engulfing the inside of the hotel after rescuers arrived Thursday.

Footage shows inside of Italy hotel hit by avalanche after earthquake

How avalanches work

A treacherous journey

Rescue efforts were hampered by the large snowfall in recent days. Here, firefighters are shown making their way to the hotel early Thursday.

The snow made it difficult to clear roads for heavy vehicles and ambulances to get through. On Thursday, Italian emergency responders faced criticism for the rescue operation, which was one of several in the earthquake-affected region Thursday. Storms have knocked out power and phone lines and blocked roads, isolating towns and hamlets.

The rescuers arrive

A video image shows rescuers shovelling their way in the avalanche area.

A video handout released by the Guardia di Finanza on Thursday shows a man being escorted by Alpine policemen and a fireman outside the hotel.

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