Rescue work to continue through the night at avalanche-hit hotel, civil protection chief says

Record ID: 164833

  • Title: Rescue work to continue through the night at avalanche-hit hotel, civil protection chief says
  • Date: 19th January 2017
  • Summary: PENNE, ITALY (JANUARY 19, 2017) (REUTERS) RESCUE VEHICLES IN STREET RESCUE WORKERS BY RESCUE VEHICLES RESCUERS GETTING READY NEXT TO SKIS AND VEHICLES RESCUE VEHICLES RESCUERS OUTSIDE CRISIS CENTRE AT LOCAL SPORTS HALL (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) HEAD OF ITALIAN CIVIL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT, FABRIZIO CURCIO, SAYING: "The work up on the mountain will definitely continue all night. Meanwhile, down here the engineers need to make decisions on how the work continues also looking at the security conditions at the site. Obviously there are different safety measures for the rescue workers during the day and during the night. But we will certainly continue to do everything possible during the night." VARIOUS OF RESCUE WORKERS AT TEMPORARY CRISIS CENTRE (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) HEAD OF ITALIAN CIVIL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT, FABRIZIO CURCIO, SAYING: "The prefecture confirms the number of victims and as far as I'm aware so far two victims have been found. The prefecture is the one to communicate the number of victims and for now they have confirmed two victims and that two people were rescued." RESCUE VEHICLES IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) HEAD OF ITALIAN CIVIL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT, FABRIZIO CURCIO, SAYING: "In these cases hope is always the engine that keeps the workers going. If there was no hope the rescuers would not give it everything they've got. There is always hope and here too, we have some technical problems, but there is hope." VARIOUS OF RESCUE WORKERS AND VEHICLES OUTSIDE TEMPORARY CRISIS CENTRE RESCUE WORKERS GETTING READY SNOW MOBILE ON BACK OF VEHICLE RESCUERS AND VEHICLES OUTSIDE CRISIS CENTRE RESCUE VEHICLES MOVING UP HILL
  • Embargoed: 2nd February 2017 20:09
  • Keywords: Italy earthquake avalanche hotel rescue Civil Protection chief Fabrizio Curcio
  • Location: FARINDOLA AND PENNE, ITALY
  • City: FARINDOLA AND PENNE, ITALY
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Earthquakes/Volcanoes/Tsunami
  • Reuters ID: LVA0025ZR0Y87
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Rescuers were preparing to work through the night on Thursday (January 19) as hopes of finding survivors dwindled after a huge avalanche swallowed up a luxury mountain hotel in central Italy burying up to 30 people under tonnes of snow and debris.
    More than 24 hours after the wall of snow buried the hotel, the Civil Protection department said just two bodies had been recovered, but its chief said the search for victims and possible survivors would continue.
    "The work up on the mountain will definitely continue all night. Meanwhile, down here the engineers need to make decisions on how the work continues also looking at the security conditions at the site. Obviously there are different safety measures for the rescue workers during the day and during the night. But we will certainly continue to do everything possible during the night," the head of Italy's Civil Protection department, Fabrizio Curcio, said.
    Local authorities said about 30 people had been in the building at the time, including two children. Only a couple of survivors had been found -- two men who had been outside when the disaster struck.
    "The prefecture confirms the number of victims and as far as I'm aware so far two victims have been found. The prefecture is the one to communicate the number of victims and for now they have confirmed two victims and that two people were rescued," said Curcio.
    The rescue operation has been hampered by metres of snow which has fallen on the Gran Sasso mountain range in the central Abruzzo region in recent days. Drifts made snow as deep as five metres (16 feet) in some places and snow ploughs struggled to cut a path up winding mountain roads.
    The first rescuers only managed to arrive at 4.30 a.m. (0330 GMT) after having to ski through a blizzard to reach the site. After dawn broke, emergency services sent in helicopters.
    A base camp for rescue workers has been set up in the town of Penne, some 10 km (6 miles) away.
    "In these cases hope is always the engine that keeps the workers going. If there was no hope the rescuers would not give it everything they have. There is always hope and here too, we have some technical problems, but there is hope," said Curcio.
    The avalanche shunted the 43-room hotel, which is 1,200 metres (4,000 ft) above sea level, some 10 metres (30 ft) down the hill, according to media reports.
    The disaster struck just hours after four earthquakes with a magnitude of above 5.0 hit central Italy, sparking fears about possible avalanches.
    Italian media said guests at the hotel had checked out and were waiting for a snow plough to arrive to open up the road and let them down the mountain. However, the avalanche struck before they had been able to leave.
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