Puppies found alive in avalanche hotel
RESCUERS digging out an Italian hotel buried by an avalanche yesterday found three puppies that had survived for five days, raising hopes for 22 people still missing. The body of a seventh person was also pulled out from the rubble of the Rigopiano Hotel, in Abruzzo. It is hoped the discovery of the month-old puppies in the boiler room means there could be more people surviving in air pockets in the building. The puppies were born to Lupo and Nuvola, shaggy Abruzzo sheepdogs, who lived in the hotel. They fled when the avalanche hit and were found the next day. A rescuer said: “We knew these dogs were there but did not know where exactly. “We located them in the boiler room. The priority is to get them seen by a vet, even if at first glance it seems they are in good health”. Luca Cari, a spokesman for the firefighters, said it was a “fight against time” to find the 22 missing people. Eleven people, including four children, have been found alive so far since the disaster in the Gran Sasso national park on January 18. A rescuer yesterday squeezed through a tiny hole cut in the roof of the hotel in search of survivors. Melting snow also revealed overturned cars.
The Italian government has vowed to review its emergency response procedures in the wake of the disaster, and a court in nearby Pescara has opened an investigation.
Italian media published an email sent by the hotel manager on January 18 to local authorities, urging help to clear the roads so that guests could escape after powerful earthquakes hit the region.
Pescara prosecutor Cristina Tedeschini admitted there may have been misunderstandings and delays in communication.