23 now feared dead at Italian hotel hit by avalanche

A total of 23 people remain unaccounted for at an Italian hotel buried by an avalanche, local authorities said Saturday in the first official confirmation of how many people were inside the building.

Published: 21 January 2017 14:18 CET

23 now feared dead at Italian hotel hit by avalanche

A car covered in snow at Farindola, 7km from the Hotel Rigopiano. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP

The statement from the Pescara prefecture was based on the list of registered guests and staff and reports from friends and relatives of others who were there when the avalanche struck on Wednesday.

Earlier estimates had put the number missing at between 11 and 20. To date, five bodies have been recovered and there are 11 confirmed survivors of the disaster.