Rigopiano Hotel avalanche: Five bodies found, 15 still missing

Five more bodies have been found in the ruins of 
the mountain hotel in Italy engulfed by an avalanche
 six days ago.

In the past few hours, the bodies of three men and 
two women have been recovered, reports say, 
bringing the total number of victims to 14.

But 15 people remain unaccounted for and rescuers say
 there is still a faint hope that some could still be alive.

Firefighters are trying to punch a hole through an
 80cm (2 ft 7 in) concrete wall into the hotel bar.

"We are working on the theory that the avalanche did not
necessarily hit or destroy every room and that we haven't 
yet reached the heart of the structure," said spokesman
 Luca Cari.

He said rescuers were working around the clock and
 still hope to find survivors. So far, 11 people have been 
found alive.

The first funerals are being held on Tuesday. Chief waiter
Alessandro Gincaterino was among the first laid to rest, reported AP news agency.

Rescuers had been able to excavate a path into the 
hotel which allows access for heavy machinery, 
Mr Cari said. They will now try to create a shaft 
through the 80cm concert wall dividing the bar 
from the kitchen, in the hope that there could be an 
 air pocket - and possible survivors - in the space behind.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella has called for a
 "united effort and common front in the face of disaster".

  But further concerns have been raised about the 
emergency services' handling of the disaster.

Some relatives of the missing have already complained
 that the snow-bound hotel should have been evacuated before the avalanche hit late on Wednesday afternoon.

An email from the hotel owner urging authorities to 
evacuate frightened guests following the quakes 
was not acted upon in time.

Another relative, Alessio Feniello, has accused authorities 
of wrongly telling him that his son, Stefano, had been
 rescued.

Now details have emerged of an emergency phone
 call between a restaurant owner and a senior official at 
the local authority co- ordinating rescues in Pescara.

 A transcript has been published by Italian daily La
 Repubblica .

At 18:20 local time (19:20 GMT), after the hotel's
  collapse, Quintino Marcello tells the official that 
his chef, Giampiero Parete, who was staying at 
 the Rigopiano, contacted him on Whatsapp
five minutes before.

"The Rigopiano hotel has collapsed, there's nothing left. 
He's there with his wife and little children. Act immediately.
 Go up there!"

But La Repubblica says the official insists the hotel is fine 
and that the fire brigade checked it out during the morning. 
It was a barn containing sheep at a farm that had collapsed, the official says.

Mr Parete had already contacted emergency services 
some time before, La Repubblica says, but they checked 
with the hotel owner, Bruno di Tommaso, who told them
 he was unaware of an avalanche - though he was not at the scene.