Rescue workers at a hotel in central Italy that was buried by an avalanche have pulled eight survivors from the building two days after it was buried in snow and rocks.
The discovery of the survivors at the Hotel Rigopiano in the Gran Sasso mountain range has bolstered hopes of finding more people alive.
Firefighters said after sundown on January 20 that there were signs from other survivors inside the building who were responding to requests from rescuers.
So far, the bodies of four people killed by the avalanche have been found. Twenty-two others were still missing after darkness fell on January 20.
Including two people who escaped on their own from the buried hotel and contacted authorities about the tragedy, a total of 10 survivors have been accounted for.