According to CNN, rescuers have stopped searching for survivors in the Hotel Rigoplano, the site of a deadly avalanche last Wednesday. The avalanche was 120,000 tons and essentially destroyed the hotel.
Out of 40 people inside the hotel during the avalanche, 29 have been confirmed dead and 11 survived. Out of those who survived, 4 are children and 9 had been trapped for 58 hours.
Over 11,000 people across the region assisted in the massive rescue effort in the Abruzzo Region of central Italy. The mission was hampered early on by poor road and weather conditions. There were glimmers of hope, as survivors (and even puppies) were located, but it was a harrowing affair through and through.
The avalanche was triggered by several earthquakes across the region in combination with over a meter of fresh snow. In fact, the tragedy comes in the wake of the deaths of over 300 people last summer in the same region during a large earthquake.
Before and after:
Our hearts go out to our Italian mountain kinfolk, who just suffered another tragedy yesterday when a rescue helicopter crashed carrying six people.
