Italian rescue teams say eight people have been found alive in a hotel buried by an avalanche nearly two days ago in the central part of the country.

The survivors have yet to be pulled from the snow, but rescuers have been talking with them Friday.

Workers dug through the night through deep snow and debris in their search for some 30 missing people, including four children, staying at the luxury mountain resort.

The avalanche that hit the four-star Hotel Rigopiano in the town of Farindole Wednesday was likely triggered by a series of strong earthquakes that rattled the central region of Abruzzo earlier in the day.  

Television footage from the inside of the wrecked hotel showed massive mounds of snow pushing through a hotel wall into the lobby.

Officials have confirmed finding two bodies, while Italian media said two more were located overnight. The only survivors until Friday were two men who were outside the hotel when the avalanche struck.  

An investigation into the tragedy has been opened by a court in Pescara, with some saying the emergency response was slow.  The first rescuers arrived amid a snow storm on skis early Thursday morning, some 11 hours after the avalanche hit.

 
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