Ten bodies recovered at avalanche hotel as rescuers 'race against time'

Rescuers have now recovered 12 bodies from Italy's avalanche-hit hotel, but are holding onto hope that there may still be survivors trapped in the wreckage. Firefighter Fabio Jerman said the discovery of three sheepdog puppies on Monday afternoon meant there were still air pockets in the collapsed luxury spa resort, "an important sign of life, which gives us hope".

But as the light began to fade, four further bodies were recovered from the rubble, bringing the number of the dead to ten. A new route was being dug into the wreck in a last-ditch effort to find survivors, as questions mounted as to whether the disaster could have been avoided.

"It's a race against time, we know we need to go fast, but it's not an easy working environment," fire service spokesman Luca Cari said as teams worked feverishly to reach the center of the resort, where they believe many of the missing could be. An email sent by the hotel to local authorities pleading for help just hours before Wednesday's tragedy has gone viral.

Although the email did not mention fears of an avalanche it described the mounting panic of guests trapped in the hotel by snow as earthquakes shook the region. Five days after the huge avalanche, which struck with the force of 4,000 trucks driving full speed, the small, fresh sign of life within the concrete tomb spurred rescuers on.

The puppies were born in December in the ill-fated Hotel Rigopiano to Lupo and Nuvola (Wolf and Cloud), who escaped when the avalanche hit and were found the following day in a nearby hamlet.

Nine people pulled out alive on Friday had described being trapped in tiny spaces, eating dirty snow in the pitch black to survive. Burrowing narrow holes in the snow and rubble, rescue workers have been painstakingly searching each room of the lodge.

Victims still underneath

Late on Sunday, rescuers began attempting to access the wreckage from the left-hand side - a riskier enterprise which could trigger snowfalls but would ultimately get them more quickly to new search zones. Funerals for two of the avalanche victims - both employees of the hotel - were set to take place on Tuesday.

The Pescara hospital said it was looking after traumatized Edoardo Di Carlo, 8, one of four children to be pulled out alive, who was left an orphan after both his parents were recovered dead and was frightened to leave their care.

Francesca Bronzi, who had been in the hotel with her boyfriend Stefano Feniello, told his father from her hospital bed that she had only been able to see his arm under the rubble and hear him moaning in pain before silence fell.

Though the avalanche risk was lowered from four to three on a five-point scale, a special radar was installed on the slopes to warn rescue teams of any fresh slides as snow and rain continued to fall on the mountainous area of central Italy.

Investigators in the nearby city of Pescara on the coast stepped up a probe into the disaster, which could lead to manslaughter charges if prosecutors find the luxury spa should not have been built in that area, or should have been evacuated.

The hotel opened in 1972 and was transformed 10 years ago into a four-star hotel with a heated external swimming pool and sauna frequented by celebrities including US actor George Clooney.

Investigators had launched a probe into the number of building permits awarded in the vast Gran Sasso national park amid suspicions of corruption, but the case was dropped in November.

The former mayor of Farindola, whose brother was killed in the hotel disaster, said no one had considered the risk of an avalanche.

The Local