BURIED ALIVE Italian avalanche leaves ‘many dead’ as hotel in Pescara resort popular with Brits is buried after country is struck by four earthquakes

UP to 30 people are believed to be dead after Italy was hit by a series of four earthquakes in four hours yesterday.

The quakes, all measuring more than five on the Richter scale, struck close to Amatrice, the same mountain town devastated by another earthquake in August that left nearly 300 dead.

Monterale, near Amatrice, was among the towns in central italy hit by a series of earthquakes

The body of one victim was found under the debris of a building in the town of Castel Castagna, in the province of Teramo, local authorities said in a statement.
At least three people were missing having been swept away in an avalanche, rescuers were reported as saying by local media.
They had been among around 20 tourists staying at a hotel in the province of Pescara, which four rescue teams are now trying to reach amid difficult conditions.
And as night fell and temperatures plummeted, fears mounted for isolated residents of remote hamlets cut off by heavy snowfall, while more than 130,000 homes were without electricity.