Water Cooler

Rescuers find 6 survivors in Italian hotel buried in snow

Rescuers have found six people alive under snow at the site of the avalanche that buried a hotel in central Italy, CNN reported Friday. A spokesman for the local department told CNN the rescuers are in contact with the group but have yet to reach them.

>> Read more trending stories

Up to 30 people are feared trapped in the Hotel Rigopiano, at the foot of the Gran Sasso mountain about 85 miles northeast of Rome.

The hotel, located in the town of Farindola, was ripped from its foundation and almost completely covered by a wall of snow and debris up to 35 feet tall, triggered by a series of earthquakes that shook the region Wednesday, USA Today reported.

Hopes of finding anyone alive had been fading Friday before officials announced that the six people had been found.