Italy avalanche: 'Many missing' in Rigopiano hotel in Abruzzo

Rescuers battled overnight to reach the Rigopiano hotel, with the first of them arriving on skis. Snow dislodged by the avalanche had blocked the roads in.
One person has been pulled dead from the snow. At least three came out alive but most others appear still buried.
One official said there were "many dead" in the hotel.
The mountainous region of Central Italy was hit by a succession of four earthquakes on Wednesday and further tremors were reported overnight.
The quakes have compounded problems resulting from recent storms, which have brought down power lines and cut off villages.
Rescue operations are under way in other parts of the region as well.

What happened?

The roof on the four-star spa hotel, close to the Gran Sasso mountain in the Abruzzo region, partly collapsed on Wednesday night.
Rescuers said at least 20 tourists and seven staff were inside at the time, among them children.
Local residents in Farindola alerted emergency services.
"There are many deaths," Antonio Crocetta, the head of a mountain rescue team, was quoted as saying earlier this morning.
Italian media reported that some guests at the hotel had been able to send text messages after they were trapped.
"Help, we're dying of cold," Ansa news agency quoted one couple as saying.
Two people were found alive outside the damaged building, which was surrounded by fallen trees. They were taken to hospital, one suffering from hypothermia.
One of them, Giampiero Parete, said he had gone to get something from his car when the avalanche hit.
"I was covered by the snow but I managed to get out. The car was not submerged and I waited for the rescuers to arrive," he said, quoted by Ansa.
He added that his wife and two children were under the rubble.