Italian Avalanche Update: Hopes Raised for More Survivors After Three Puppies Pulled from Debris

Italian Avalanche Update: Yesterday, three puppies were pulled from the Italian hotel decimated by an avalanche five days earlier. This furry find is a clear indication of remaining air pockets, giving rescuers new hope of finding even more survivors. 

So far, rescue crews have successfully pulled a total of nine survivors from the hotel in Farindola, Italy, razed by an avalanche last week. Four of the known survivors are children. Italian firefighters have been working around the clock in effort to find any remaining victims. To date there have been seven confirmed deaths with 22 more still missing.

Police there have reported rescue efforts have been aided by following cell phone signals. Additionally, rescue workers are following sounds coming from beneath the rubble. 

“It’s a race against time, we know we need to go fast, but it’s not an easy working environment,”  as teams worked to reach the centre of the hotel where they believe the missing could be.

Luca Cari, Fire Service Spokesman

All nine survivors are reported to be in good condition, with only one requiring surgery. 

The Backstory: In central Italy last Wednesday, the Hotel Rigopiano was destroyed by an avalanche thought to have been triggered by four strong tremors in the region that same day. Through Saturday the region was exposed to more earth rumblings, hampering rescue efforts. More than 48,200 seismic events have been recorded since a quake destroyed the town last August, killing 300 people,

See here for more details from last week’s event.

A special probe has been installed to warn rescue workers of further slides in the area. At this time the avalanche risk has been lowered to a 3, down from a 4, on a 5-point scale as the weather in the region continued to deliver rain and snow.