When you hear that an avalanche has hit Hotel Rigopiano in Abruzzo, Italy, the first thing you would think of – naturally – is that we must start looking for human survivors. After all, when an avalanche totally takes over the building, causing it to collapse, you’re looking to get as many people out as quickly as possible.
When this happened, emergency personnel jumped into action. They pulled out 9 people from the damage, 7 who were found to be deceased, and are still searching for the 22 unaccounted for. On top of the 9 rescued, were three adorable 1.5 month old Abruzzo sheepdogs, three puppies that had been thought to have been lost in the avalanche. They were rescued from within a tiny crevice in the boiler room and brought out to safety, much to the astonishment of the crowd looking on.
Their dog parents had escaped the avalanche earlier and run to a nearby town, so now it is all about getting parents and pups together again. This kind of news was needed in a search that was quickly becoming grim as the days went past. A sight for sore eyes, that’s without a doubt.
Handout, AFP/Getty Images
Italian Firefighters via The Associated Press
Fabio Gatto, AFP/Getty Images
Italian Firefighters via The Associated Press
Fabio Gatto, AFP/Getty Images
Alessandro Di Meo, ANSA via The Associated Press
Alessandro Di Meo, ANSA via The Associated Press
Alessandro Di Meo, ANSA via The Associated Press
