‘Many’ Dead as Avalanche Buries Italian Hotel

Italian rescuers say as many as 30 people are missing and feared dead after a ski resort was buried by an avalanche early Thursday. Snow from the earthquake-triggered avalanche was so deep, officials said, that rescuers had to use skis to get to the Hotel Rigopiano, located in the Italian Alps. Local reports claimed there were 22 guests and eight hotel staffers inside the spa resort when the avalanche struck. One man said he survived because he went to his car to retrieve something just as disaster struck. His wife and two children were reportedly still buried inside the hotel. The avalanche was reportedly triggered by the four earthquakes that jolted the alpine region this week.