Advertisement

Rescue of 3 puppies gives hope for more survivors in Italy avalanche

The shaggy white sheepdog puppies have lifted rescuers' spirits and given new hope that more survivors will be found.

By Doug G. Ware
Italian rescue workers carry one-month-old sheepdog puppies that were found alive in the rubble of the avalanche-hit Rigopiano Hotel in Abruzzo, Italy, on Monday. Their canine parents, Nuvola and Lupo, escaped the hotel's collapse on Thursday and were rescued the next day. The puppies were said to be in good health after almost five days buried in the freezing snow. Photo by Alessandro Di Meo/European Pressphoto Agency
1 of 2 | Italian rescue workers carry one-month-old sheepdog puppies that were found alive in the rubble of the avalanche-hit Rigopiano Hotel in Abruzzo, Italy, on Monday. Their canine parents, Nuvola and Lupo, escaped the hotel's collapse on Thursday and were rescued the next day. The puppies were said to be in good health after almost five days buried in the freezing snow. Photo by Alessandro Di Meo/European Pressphoto Agency

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Rescuers in Italy have dug three young dogs out of the deep snow where nearly two dozen people remain missing following an avalanche that hit a hotel near the resort town of Farindola last week, officials said Monday.

So far, seven people have been confirmed dead in the snow slide, which hit the Rigopiano Hotel early Thursday. Twenty-two people remain unaccounted for, according to authorities, and 11 were rescued.

Advertisement

However, the finding of three dogs on Monday has given new hope that many of the missing might still be alive, too. The sight of the shaggy white Abruzzo sheepdog puppies also lifted the spirits of rescue workers.

RELATED Thursday: Rescuers in Italy race to save avalanche victims

"We knew these dogs were there, but we did not know where exactly," a rescue worker said.

It's not believed the pups are injured, but officials took them to get a medical examination.

"We located them in the boiler room. Now the priority is to get them seen by a veterinarian, even if at first glance it seems that they are in very good health," the rescuer added.

Advertisement

News reports said the month-old pups were born to a pair of adult dogs that lived at the hotel. They also got caught in the avalanche Thursday, but were found alive and well the next day.

RELATED Friday: Survivors found in Italian hotel struck by avalanche

The white puppies were uncovered after days of digging by emergency workers, with shovels, plows and other equipment.

The dogs' survival has rescuers believing there might be pockets of air within the burial zone that humans can survive in.

Officials said the avalanche sent a wall of snow as high as 16 feet toward the hotel, taking everyone by surprise. Experts did not consider the hotel to be in an area of avalanche danger last week.

Latest Headlines