Italy’s civil protection chief says five of the 10 people found alive inside an avalanche-covered hotel have been pulled out and that rescue crews are working to get the other five to safety.
Chief Fabrizio Curcio said four of the five extracted alive were children, suggesting that all the children in the hotel at the time of Wednesday’s avalanche were accounted for.
One of the boys who was rescued has been identified: 8-year-old Gianfilippo Parete, who emerged from the structure along with his mother, Adriana Vranceanu, 43.
His father, Giampiero Parete, had sounded the alarm about the avalanche, begging his boss to rally rescue crews. He had walked to the car just minutes before the avalanche struck the hotel.
As Vranceanu emerged she pointed back inside, apparently giving rescue workers directions on how to find her 6-year-old daughter, Ludovica.
(AP)
