By David E. Hubler
Contributor, EDM Digest
A huge avalanche buried a hotel in the mountains of central Italy late Wednesday night. Italian authorities say at least three persons are known dead and 30 are missing, including two children.
Authorities say they believe the massive snow slide was triggered by one of the earthquakes that struck the area in recent months. The avalanche uprooted trees and wiped out parts of the hotel, leaving only some structures standing and others further down the mountainside.
A survivor told rescuers he had left the hotel and gone to his car when several tons of snow fell onto the three-story structure. His wife and two children remained inside and are missing.
Alpine rescue teams on skis were the first to reach the hotel. Video taken from a helicopter showed rescue workers on top of the snow-covered hotel, digging holes to get to victims.
The four-star Hotel Rigopiano in the central Abruzzo region is a known earthquake-prone area. Hotel guests reported feeling tremors on Wednesday and alerted authorities. A recent snowstorm left the area under more than three feet of snow that knocked out power and phone lines and blocked roads.
AP reports that the area has been struck by a series of quakes since August; one of them killed nearly 300 people. These quakes destroyed historic centers in dozens of towns and hamlets. No one died in the strong aftershocks in October, largely because population centers had been evacuated.
About the Author
David E. Hubler brings a variety of government, journalism and teaching experience to his position as a Quality Assurance Editor at APUS. David’s professional background includes serving as a senior editor at CIA and the Voice of America. He has also been a managing editor for several business-to-business and business-to-government publishing companies. David has taught high school English in Connecticut and freshman composition at Northern Virginia Community College. He has a master’s degree for Teachers of English from the University of New Hampshire and a B.A. in English from New York University. In March 2017, Rowman & Littlefield will publish the paperback edition of David’s latest book, “The Nats and the Grays, How Baseball in the Nation’s Capital Survived WWII and Changed the Game Forever.”
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