At least 30 people are feared buried under snow after an avalanche struck a mountain hotel in Central Italy on Wednesday. Hotel Rigopiano near Farindola town in the Abruzzo region bore the brunt of the disaster, which took place after at least four strong tremors struck the region the same day, Reuters reported.
While local news outlets claimed that several people had died in the avalanche, rescue officials in the area denied the reports, saying it was too early to gauge whether there were any casualties.
The avalanche led to the collapse of a part of the four-storey hotel, rescuers said. According to the head of Italy’s Civil Protection Department, at least two people had been rescued from the site, CNN reported.
A spokesperson for the National Fire Brigade said it was sending rescue workers to the location in helicopters so they can begin digging through the snow and debris. A camp has also been set up for the workers in a nearby town.
Several parts of Central Italy have been struck by earthquakes in recent months. In August 2016, at least 281 people were killed after a tremor measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale struck the region.
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