ITALY, Jan. 19, 2016 (UPI) — Hours after a series of earthquakes shut down schools and transit systems in Italy, an earthquake thought to be linked to the tremors buried a hotel and may have killed up to 30 people believed to have been inside.
The Hotel Rigopiano near the Gran Sasso mountain in central Italy was hit by an avalanche early Thursday, after four earthquakes shook the mountain region of the country the day before and a series of aftershocks was felt throughout the night.
There were at least 20 tourists and seven staff members inside the hotel when the avalanche hit, rescuers say. Though they were unsure when it buried the hotel, they said it is possible those inside were trapped by snow and rubble for as long as 24 hours.
“There are many deaths,” said Antonio Crocetta, the head of the Abruzzi mountain rescue team.
The Abruzzo region of Italy, as well as Marche and Lazio, were pounded by several days of heavy snow which already had made it difficult for emergency personnel to get to villages.
The “immense” avalanche is thought to have happened sometime closer to the earthquakes, which caused schools and transit systems in Rome — some 50 miles away — to be evacuated and closed.
Witnesses said the avalanche took out a wooded area, as well as cars, animals and part of the hotel. Local residents in Farindola, where the hotel is located, called emergency officials because they could see the roof had collapsed.
Rescuers, who needed skis and a helicopter to reach the hotel because of more than two meters of snow on the ground, already reported one person found outside the hotel had died and another was taken to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia in serious condition but is expected to survive.
Italy has dealt with a series of earthquakes and aftershocks since a devastating trembler struck on Aug. 24, 2016, killing more than 300 people and decimating the historic town of Amatrice.
