Rescuers recovered the body of a man from a mountain resort hotel in central Italy that was buried by an avalanche overnight, local media reported. The area was hit by four powerful quakes on Wednesday. Two men were hospitalized with hypothermia after being extracted from a car outside the hotel. One man told Italian news agency ANSA he was only alive "because I went to fetch something from the car" and that his wife and children were inside the four-star, three-storey hotel when the avalanche struck. Pescara Deputy Prefect Carlo Torlontano told reporters he would not confirm any fatalities until relatives were notified. He said a convoy of Civil Protection vehicles including ambulances and snowploughs faced "undescribable problems" driving the 9 kilometres from the village of Farindola to the Rigopiano Hotel at altitude of 1,200 metres due to snow. Rescuers who reached the hotel on skis have been digging through the rubble "with shovels and their bare hands", the official said. Civil Protection Department chief Fabrizio Curcio earlier described an "apocalyptic scenario" and said rescuers are working in "prohibitive" conditions.
