Children saved in Italy avalanche hotel miracle

The rescues mean all four children known to have been in the Rigopiano hotel when it was hit by a wall of snow on Wednesday have been saved. It also means that an entire family of four survived the disaster in extraordinary circumstances. Giampiero Parete had feared the worse after he avoided being swamped by the avalanche after he had gone to the family car to get his wife’s headache tablets. 

His wife Adriana and their son Gianfilipo, 7, were found on Saturday morning and guided to safety. 

As she was lifted out of a tunnel in the snow, the mother could be heard mouthing ‘my daughter, my daughter’. But her despair was short-lived. Just after nightfall it was announced sixyear-old Ludovica had also been rescued.