Eight people initially feared dead have survived the avalanche that buried a mountain ski hotel in Italy, said rescuers who have spent two days searching the site. Five deaths have been confirmed and up to two dozen bodies may remain inside.
Authorities originally said only six survived, but have since revised the number, said BBC News. Two of the survivors are children, according to the Italian media which said all of the survivors have not been extracted from the four-star Hotel Rigopiano at the foot of the Gran Sasso mountain, about 85 miles northeast of Rome.
Italian authorities have confirmed five deaths so far, with three of the bodies being removed from the hotel Thursday, reported The Guardian. Two guests escaped because they were outside the building when the avalanche struck.
Five survivors, including a young girl and a woman thought to be her mother, were transported by helicopter to a hospital in Pescara. Officials told reporters that the victims were suffering from hypothermia.
"Finding these people gives us further hope there are other survivors, said Titti Postiglione, a civil protection agency official.
The avalanche, triggered by earthquakes on Wednesday, completely buried the remote hotel in the central Abruzzo region about 5 p.m. local time, said BBC News. Local reports said the force of the snow partially collapsed the roof, shifting the building off its foundations.
CNN reported that road crews was able to clear much of the snow and trees from the access roads to the hotel by Thursday night, allowing rescue equipment to reach the building. Helicopters had been employed to bring rescuers, including dogs to the mountain to look for survivors beforehand.
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