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Last bodies pulled from Italian hotel after avalanche

Eleven people survived the disaster at Hotel Rigopiano
Eleven people survived the disaster at Hotel Rigopiano

Rescuers have pulled the last two bodies from the wreckage of a hotel in central Italy that was razed by an avalanche last week.

The final death toll is 29, the national fire brigade said.

With the discovery last night of the bodies of a man and a woman, everyone known to have been at the Hotel Rigopiano when it was flattened has now been accounted for.

Eleven people survived the disaster, which struck after heavy snowstorms and several powerful earthquakes on 18 January.

Rescuers had to use pickaxes and heavy earth-moving equipment to shift snow and debris and break through the reinforced concrete roof.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the tragedy, which Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said would establish if anyone was to blame.

Many guests had wanted to leave before the wall of snow struck but were unable to do so because the access road was already blocked.

The opposition 5-Star Movement criticised cuts to local government funding and the scrapping of a rural police force.They said the national emergency prevention and response system had been ill-prepared.

"It isn't the snow's fault," the 5-Star wrote on founder Beppe Grillo's blog. "The failure of those who should have prevented this disaster and helped the communities in difficulty is clear to everyone."

Mr Gentiloni has promised to launch an emergency decree and add to reconstruction funds set aside after earthquakes tore through the heart of Italy last year.