The

tragedy of Rigopiano

is an indelible stain in a karst basin on the slopes of the mountains confined to the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park - a territory kissed by the sun, made shimmering by the rain, shaped by the snow and colorful in the mid-seasons.

An oasis of peace for nature lovers and for hikers who, weakened by the mountain, seek shelter.

Born as an alpine refuge in 1958, the

Rigopiano Hotel

has undergone a profound transformation to become a famous

luxury resort

, with swimming pools, including outdoor ones, and a spa.

Pride of mountain tourism in Abruzzo.

It's

January 18, 2017

, it's been snowing for days and nobody - absolutely nobody - imagines the unimaginable.

It's not a day like many others.

Rigopiano is disturbed by bad weather and major earthquakes.

Natural phenomena that exasperate the spirits of guests who hope to return home as soon as possible.

The road is blocked by snow and resignation follows euphoria.

The mocking wait for a snow blower, which will arrive too late, is interrupted by an

avalanche that overwhelms the Hotel Rigopiano

.

From Monte Siella, the avalanche, with a front seven meters high of snow mixed with ice and beech trees uprooted from the woods, descends along the Grava di Valle Bruciata and hits the structure, edgewise, exploding the pillars and lifting the floors.

40 people are accommodated in the hotel

: 28 guests, including 4 children, and 12 employees:

only

eleven survive

.

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The 29 victims of the Rigopiano avalanche

Die under the rubble (from left): Jessica Tinari (24), Marinella Colangeli (32), managed the hotel spa, Roberto Del Rosso, owner and manager of the 53-year-old Rigopiano hotel, Cecilia Martella (24), Ilaria Di Biase (22), engaged as a cook, Piero Di Pietro (54), Marco Vagnarelli (44) and Paola Tomassini (46), Alessandro Riccetti (33), Luciano Caporale (54) and Silvana Angelucci (46), Stefano Feniello ( 28), Marco Tanda (25), Marina Serraiocco (38) and Domenico Di Michelangelo (41), Emanuele Bonifazi (31), Luana Biferi (30), Sara Angelozzi (40) and Claudio Baldini (40), Linda Salzetta (31 ), Gabriele D'Angelo (32), Nadia Acconciamessa (47), Alessandro Giancaterino (42), Valentina Cicioni (33), Dame Faye (42), Foresta Tobia (59) and Bianca Iudicone (50), Sebastiano Di Carlo (49), Rosa Barbara Nobilio (51).

Rainews.it

The Rigopiano hotel was located 8.9 km from the center of Farindola, connected by a stretch of road that leads from an altitude of 530 meters to 1200. An hour and 20 minutes on foot, twenty minutes by car.

Snow permitting

In Rigopiano it has been snowing for days and

guests reach the hotel with difficulty

, slowed down by a wave of snow never seen before.

Even in Farindola, at an altitude of 530 metres, the situation is complicated and traffic has greatly slowed down.

The mayor decides to close the schools.

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The abundant snow falls in the municipality of Farindola

In the direction of Rigopiano, on the other hand, the road is interrupted in several points and the last stretch is guaranteed by a lane as wide as the snowplough.

The forces of order coordinate the cars - the mayor of Farindola is also present - and escort the customers to their destination.

There are many who have reserved a room since January 17, 2017. 

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The viability is already complex well before arriving in Farindola

The heroic feats to reach the Rigopiano hotel are documented with video, audio and messages exchanged via WhatsApp.

"Efforts" repaid by moments of relaxation in the spa and by the tasty dishes offered by the hotel restaurant.

All around there are still the Christmas decorations to mark the time that passes slowly in Rigopiano.

Even the

telephone line is almost absent

and the internet connection (via satellite dish) is the most powerful means of communicating with the outside world.

The snow doesn't slow down and in a few hours even the last parked cars are no longer distinguishable - buried under a blanket of snow.

The images transmitted by the Abruzzo broadcaster Rete 8 recorded in the days preceding the tragedy are eloquent.

On

18 January 2017,

the serenity of the guests was disturbed, already at breakfast, by the endless snowfall and by

the wall of snow

on the provincial road which, in fact, did not allow anyone to leave the hotel.

A snow plow is expected.

The situation, however, deteriorates.

At 10.25 a

quake of magnitude 5.1

terrifies those present.

Restless, someone is in a panic, customers pack up to leave.

It didn't take long and at 11.24

another earthquake of magnitude 5.4

created confusion and disorientation.

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A view of the Gran Sasso after the earthquake

The requests for help have been incessant since the morning, the situation is serious and the amount of snow that has fallen outlines a worrying scenario even for the locals.

Customers

' phone calls to relatives

via WhatsApp, later made public, testify to palpable agitation.

Once the cars have been cleaned and lined up in single file on the hotel driveway, everyone is ready to leave Rigopiano.

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Guests' cars line up along the hotel driveway (January 18, 2017)

In particular Gabriele D'Angelo,

waiter of the Rigopiano

, with a past in 118, who died in the tragedy, at

11.38

on 18 January, contacted the Rescue Coordination Center of the Pescara prefecture and asked for the preventive evacuation of the hotel (he made several attempts in day - subject of investigation).

The sister of Roberto Del Rosso, who died in the tragedy, went personally to the Province to ask for help.

The

snow blower

, however, does not arrive and the hotel administration offers a buffet lunch to entertain the guests.

The expectation is again disturbed by

two tremors

.

Children cry, some frightened customers scream.

They are desperate.

Others ask for chamomile tea to calm down.

It is the last act before the tragedy.

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According to data from the Forestry Carabinieri of the Meteomont service, the force exerted by the avalanche is equal to 4 thousand fully loaded trucks and in the accumulation area on the hotel the weight is 120 thousand tons

At

16.47

(the time is estimated) the guests are almost all gathered in the hall, wearing ski suits.

Some children are in the billiard room.

It is the survivors who remember those moments: “I perceived a growing wind and suddenly: boo, boo, boo, boo, boo”, the testimony of Giampaolo Matrone who lost his wife Valentina in Rigopiano gives goosebumps.

In a few seconds the avalanche overwhelms everything

.

A mixture of snow and trees will bury the Rigopiano hotel.

Dark.

Images of the Fire Brigade;

Music Lights Writing, Milky Blue (License: Creative Commons)

The

first to emerge from the rubble is Fabio Salzetta

, the maintenance man of the hotel, he is in a boiler room and with a hammer he breaks a grate and is out.

He calls, shouts, and

the chef Giampiero Parete

answers , on holiday with his family, who went out just before the avalanche to get to the car.

Parete is so disoriented that he no longer understands which is the entrance to the hotel, his wife and children are under the rubble.

After repeated attempts, the two

manage to speak to 118

.

They warn of the collapse but the line is disturbed.

The control panel tries to call that number many times but the phone does not pick up.

Wall, in the car with Salzetta, to shelter from the storm and the prohibitive cold, he tries to call his employer via WhatsApp: the restaurateur of Isola Felice, in Silvi Marina, Quintino Marcella.

It's

5.08 pm

, Marcella picks up the roll call and starts a flurry of calls from both landline and mobile phones on 112, 113, 117, 118. 

I kept calling because no one believed me

Quintin Marcella

It doesn't take long, Marcella calls Parete back and embittered confesses: "They don't believe me".

It's just after

6 pm

and the restaurateur insists again so much that he is put in contact with the

operations room of the Prefecture

.

He qualifies and once again explains the situation following his friend's words.

But after a few minutes the phone call is at the crossroads and the final answer freezes him.

“Everything is fine, there is no collapse.

Two hours ago we spoke to the manager of the Rigopiano hotel”.

The official's reference is to the

phone call between the Pescara Operations Center and the administrator of the Rigopiano Hotel

, Bruno Di Tommaso, who is not on site.

(Di Tommaso is asked about the collapse of the hotel shortly after the phone call from Salzetta and Parete to 118).

The proverb pronounced by the official of the Prefecture who liquidates Marcella follows.

The mother of imbeciles is always pregnant

”, She is convinced that the news of the collapse of the Rigopiano hotel is just a joke in bad taste.

Professor Marcella is desperate and calls Massimo D'Alessio, a volunteer from the Civil Protection.

D'Alessio collects the information and in turn turns to Fabio Pellegrini, a ski mountaineering instructor.

The confirmations, however, did not arrive and at

19.24

D'Alessio called the Prefecture to make sure.

The answer is, again, negative: "It's still a hoax with this story."

D'Alessio calls Marcella back and asks for Parete's number.

While D'Alessio is pressing the Prefecture, his wife manages to contact the cook.

At that moment the truth of the facts is ascertained.

The rescue car starts up

.

It's about 7:30, two and a half hours after the collapse.

There are 30 people from the mountain rescue, the Guardia di Finanza, and the fire brigade at the appeal.

The roads are blocked and the turbine is slow to arrive.

At

21.47

D'Alessio and Parete write to each other again: "Has help arrived?"

and Parete replies: “No”.

It's not long, says D'Alessio.

Wall's phone battery is almost flat and the chef asks to communicate only via messaging.

An hour passes and at

10.53

pm D'Alessio keeps the contact alive.

Wall replies: "We are at the entrance to the parking lot", "Have they arrived?"

asks D'Alessio.

Parete replies at

10.59

pm : “No”.

The chef's phone is now empty and communications are cut off a few minutes after

11pm

.

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Rescue cars in column try to reach the Rigopiano hotel

The turbine acts as a forerunner to the rescuers who trudge behind.

But the stretch is long, you advance too slowly.

Everyone knows that when there is an avalanche the time factor can make the difference

.

So at

2

a.m. a group of rescuers detaches from the rescue column and continues on skis.

You need climbing skins to move uphill.

About ten people set off and braved the cold, the strong wind and the snow.

Pellegrini is crucial to understanding the direction to follow.

Fire fighters

Rescuers on skis

Alongside the two survivors of the avalanche are the mascots Lupo and Nuvola, shepherds from Abruzzo who remained unharmed and awaiting their three puppies.

There is silence all around.

The ski rescuers only arrive at

4.30

the following day.

It is January 19, 2017 when

they find the two survivors Salzetta and Parete

.

The meeting is moving.

Relative is strongly shaken, with his hands he squeezes his daughter's handbag found in the car.

The rescuers decide to take him down on a stretcher and, forced, entrust the backpack to one of them: "Don't lose it is all I have left of it".

Salzetta, on the other hand, remains: his sister is among the rubble. 

Fire fighters

The devastation seen from inside the Rigopiano hotel

The helicopter of the fire brigade, hampered by adverse conditions, arrives at the scene at

7

.

9 of them descend about 300 meters from the objective and with snow up to their chests they reach what remains of the Hotel Rigopiano.

“We were breathless,” says one of them.

Instead of finding an imposing pile of rubble - considering the different floors of the hotel - there is nothing.

"We don't know where to start."

The biggest difficulty, in fact, is figuring out where to start the search.

Access from the spa proves to be easy, but the attempt with canine units fails.

The arrival of the other relief units follows.

Fire fighters

The mobile rescue column

The

probes stuck in the snow

, used to locate the structure of the building, touch the trees and repeatedly confuse the rescuers who dig without finding anything.

Salzetta is decisive.

The hotel maintainer knows the floor plan perfectly.

He advises and directs the police towards the hall.

Meanwhile, time passes and the first team leaves at one o'clock the next day and then returns at 6 in the morning.

Salzetta, together with the Fire Brigade, continues to search the entrance hall.

Among the difficulties he identifies the perimeter walls of the hotel - moved by the force of the avalanche by about 10 meters.

The first penetration is unsuccessful, the rescuers move two meters and manage to enter from the roof.

The

firefighter Mauro Cavallo

, honored Knight of the Republic, slips in and descends for several metres.

He finds a slot and calls (

call out

), after a while he hears a voice.

He calls for silence outside and calls even louder.

His voice answers louder.

It's the turning point.

To reply is Adriana, wife of the chef Parete.

Firefighters open the gate.

It is 8.30 on

Thursday 20 January

when Gianfilippo leaves, Adriana leaves after her son. 

Parete's daughter, Ludovica, is still below.

Salzetta is again essential to find the others.

She explains how to get to the children buried in the billiard room.

Excavation continues but the tunnel is too narrow.

The policemen choose the smallest among them.

Summoned, Fabrizio Cataudella goes deep without hesitation and digs, digs in the snow, until he reaches the room.

It is

19.30 on 20 January

when

three children who have been left in the dark for over 50 hours are found

.

Among them is the daughter of Parete, Ludovica.

During the night, three other survivors of the Rigopiano tragedy are found: Francesca Bronzi, Giorgia Galassi and Vincenzo Forti.

The three fought the thirst by wetting their lips with the dirty snow.

The most complex intervention takes place almost at dawn.

Giampaolo Matrone is wedged under an attic.

He is the last of the survivors

and is very thirsty.

He constantly asks the rescuers for water.

To get him out, the Fire Brigade broke several chainsaws and were forced to work with the blade a few centimeters from his face.

After 62 hours from the Rigopiano avalanche, Matrone is safe despite the obvious problems in her arm (he will have to undergo numerous surgical interventions).

After a few hours, the discovery of the three Abruzzese shepherd puppies, sons of Lupo and Nuvola, still gives hope to the rescuers. 

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The discovery of the three puppies

Unfortunately, however, there is nothing to be done for the missing.

Salzetta remained in Rigopiano for five days

until the rescuers found Linda's lifeless body on her sister's birthday.

Destroyed, he leaves Rigopiano.