Avalanche (illustration)
Avalanche (illustration)iStock

Several people are missing after an avalanche struck a hotel in Pescara, in the Abruzzo region in Italy on Wednesday night.

Russia Today (RT), which cited Italian media, reported that the avalanche occurred at the base of the Gran Sasso mountain range, near the Rigopiano di Farindola hotel.

Rescue teams arrived at the site and are trying to reach people on their mobile phones, but the phones are reportedly not being answered.

Rescuers believe three people are missing, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

“There seem to be victims, but it all needs to be confirmed. There were 20 guests in the hotel,” said provincial President Antonio Di Marco.

Emergency services were reportedly notified of the situation by two visitors staying at the hotel. They said that about 20 guests were registered at the time of the incident, in addition to the hotel’s employees.

The Gran Sasso Resort Farindola is situated some 1,200 meters above sea level, making rescue efforts difficult, according to RT. Rescue teams could take up to three hours to get there as they need to cover roughly 50 km in treacherous weather conditions.

The avalanche occurred hours after central Italy was struck by a series of earthquakes, including a 5.7 magnitude earthquake which was felt in the capital, Rome.

Italy experienced two strong quakes on October 27, 2016, as well as a third quake measuring 6.6 on October 30. In August, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake claimed the lives of 296 people.