Avalanche hits hotel in Italy, up to 30 people dead

Up to 30 people are said to be dead, along with many still missing, after an Italian ski hotel was struck by an avalanche during a series of tremors. Following a series of four earthquakes on Wednesday, the search operation was launched in the central Italian city of Pescara. The seismic shocks were all above five magnitude, and occurred within in the matter of four hours. Italy's Civil Protection Agency said that around 30 guests and staff at the hotel were on the Gran Sasso mountain during the avalanche. While Pescara's president Antonio Di Marco said it remains how many people are dead, two people have been saved.