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Italy Rigopiano Hotel sent alert just before avalanche Rigopiano Hotel avalanche: Puppies raise rescuers' hopes in Italy
(about 5 hours later)
The manager of the Italian hotel hit by an avalanche told officials shortly before the disaster that his guests were terrified by repeated earthquakes, and trapped there by snowdrifts. Three puppies have been rescued alive from the ruins of a mountain hotel in Abruzzo, central Italy, which was engulfed by an avalanche five days ago.
Bruno Di Tommaso's warning came in an email published by Italian media, as rescuers continued searching for 23 missing people at the Rigopiano hotel. Their discovery has raised hopes that 23 missing people may have survived in air pockets. Six people died but nine survived, including four children.
Wednesday's avalanche buried the hotel, killing at least six people. Rescuers using shovels and saws are considering whether to start using heavy equipment on the buried ruins.
Nine survivors have been pulled from the snow in Abruzzo, central Italy. Details have emerged of the situation at the hotel just before the avalanche.
The avalanche - weighing some 120,000 tonnes - hit the luxury hotel with a speed of about 100km/h (60mph). There are still hopes that there may be more survivors holed up in air pockets in the snow. The manager, Bruno Di Tommaso, told officials in an email shortly before the disaster on Wednesday that his guests were terrified by multiple earthquakes that day, and were prevented from leaving by snowdrifts.
Emergency message However, there was no mention of a potential avalanche. Italian officials have since confirmed that the area was not considered to be at risk of such an event.
Mr Di Tommaso sent an email on Wednesday, before the avalanche, to warn the governors of Pescara province, the local police chief and the Farindola mayor that the situation was "worrying". The local authorities say a snowplough was due to begin work on the road to the hotel on Wednesday evening but the avalanche struck in the late afternoon.
He asked them to prepare to intervene, saying the guests were "terrified by the earthquakes" and had decided to stay outdoors. Shafts dug
"We've tried to calm them down, but they are unable to leave because the roads are blocked, and they are preparing to spend the night in their cars." The recovery of three shaggy white Abruzzo sheepdog pups meant there were still air pockets in the ruins - "an important sign of life, which gives us hope", firefighter Fabio Jerman told reporters.
He reported that the hotel's diesel supply for the electricity generator would run out the next day, and the bad weather had cut off the phone network. But Luca Cari, a spokesman for the firefighters, said it was a "fight against time" to rescue the missing.
"There is about two metres (7ft) of snow around the hotel and 12 of our rooms are occupied currently, not counting staff," the email said. Shafts have been dug into the snow and concrete to allow rescuers access, while electronic probes are being used to search inside for the slightest noise that might be a sign of life.
Italian media say the Pescara authorities already knew at 07:00 (06:00 GMT) on Wednesday that a special, high-powered snowplough would be needed to unblock the road to the hotel. The avalanche, triggered by the earthquakes, struck at about 17:00. Rescue crews from the fire brigade and other services have taken precautions to secure themselves in case of a new avalanche, with escape routes planned out and tracking devices issued to each member, the Associated Press reports.
The daily Il Messaggero says Pescara president Antonio Di Marco saw the email at 14:00. Radar has been set up to give early warning of any new slide, AFP news agency reports.
The avalanche - weighing some 120,000 tonnes - hit the luxury hotel with a speed of about 100km/h (60mph).
Some of the firefighters are taking inspiration from earlier rescues.
One, Marco Filabozzi, said: "We did three earthquakes: Amatrice [24 August 2016], Camerino [26 October] and Norcia [31 October]. We only found dead people.
"When we broke that wooden panel and saw those three children huddled against each other, we looked at each other and we suddenly understood: those angels erased all the dead for us."
Alessio Feniello, whose son Stefano, 28, is among the missing, accused the authorities of misleading him into thinking his child had been rescued along with his girlfriend.
"If there was a thread of hope of rescuing [my son], there isn't any hope anymore," he was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
'We never stopped'
In his email, Mr Di Tommaso, the hotel manager, warned the authorities in Pescara province, the local police chief and the mayor of a nearby village, Farindola, that the situation was "worrying".
He asked them to prepare to intervene, saying stranded guests terrified by the earthquakes were preparing to spend the night in their cars.
The diesel supply for the electricity generator would run out the next day, and the bad weather had cut off the phone network, he added.
Italian media say the Pescara authorities already knew at 07:00 (06:00 GMT) on Wednesday that a special, high-powered snowplough would be needed to unblock the road to the hotel. The avalanche, triggered by the earthquakes, struck at about 17:00 later that day.
The daily Il Messaggero says Pescara President Antonio Di Marco saw the email at 14:00.
"Nobody underestimated the email," he said, explaining that he had assured the hotel owner's sister that a special snowplough - a "turbina" - would be on its way to unblock the road by that evening."Nobody underestimated the email," he said, explaining that he had assured the hotel owner's sister that a special snowplough - a "turbina" - would be on its way to unblock the road by that evening.
"For me it is an irrelevant email - we never stopped," he said."For me it is an irrelevant email - we never stopped," he said.
One of the avalanche survivors said she ate ice and snow to quench her thirst during a 58-hour ordeal.
Many of the guests had gathered on the ground floor to await evacuation following the earthquakes.
Italy has seen a wave of damaging quakes in recent months. The Apennines region saw three magnitude six tremors between August and October.Italy has seen a wave of damaging quakes in recent months. The Apennines region saw three magnitude six tremors between August and October.
Italy's complex tectonics mean that the Apennines are subject to extension, or "pull-apart", which works at a rate of 3mm per year. The geological stress is spread across a number of fault lines in the mountain ranges.Italy's complex tectonics mean that the Apennines are subject to extension, or "pull-apart", which works at a rate of 3mm per year. The geological stress is spread across a number of fault lines in the mountain ranges.