One person has died and as many as 30 people remain missing after an avalanche engulfed the luxury Rigopiano hotel, located on the Gran Sasso mountain in central Italy.
Images of the hotel show it nearly completely buried by snow, and footage taken by first responders shows hallways within the building have collapsed.
Ghiaccio e macerie dentro l’Hotel #Rigopiano travolto dalla valanga: le prime immagini dell’interno ? https://t.co/TM9dbfHE59 #terremoto pic.twitter.com/TysMVDDqfQ
— Rainews (@RaiNews) January 19, 2017
Ghiaccio e macerie dentro l’Hotel #Rigopiano travolto dalla valanga: le prime immagini dell’interno ? https://t.co/TM9dbfHE59 #terremoto pic.twitter.com/76j2G13hRp
— Rainews (@RaiNews) January 19, 2017
It’s not immediately apparent how many guests and staff were present in the 43-room hotel, but one official said there were “many dead.”
A series of earthquakes had struck in the region before the avalanche.
Those quakes had cut off access to the town of Farindola, about 160 kilometres northeast of Rome.
via Google Maps.
Rescuers attempting to reach the site also experienced difficult conditions due to heavy snowfall, and vehicles were unable to traverse the 8 kilometres of road leading to the hotel.
Italian civil defence units are now attempting to reach the site, and helicopter rescue teams have also been deployed.
