Italy avalanche: Rescuers refuse to give up hope of finding survivors

Survivors of Italy's avalanche disaster ate snow to stay hydrated and sang to keep their spirits up as as they huddled in pitch black, cramped cavities in the mangled wreckage of the Hotel Rigopiano.

The traumatic nature of their life-or-death ordeal emerged Sunday as rescuers insisted they had not abandoned hope of finding some of the 23 other people buried under the icy ruins, despite 48 hours having elapsed since they last detected signs of life.

"We have hope. Even if there are no signs of life, you could drill through a wall and suddenly there'd be contact.

That's what happened with the other survivors," said Luca Cari, a spokesman for the rescue operation. Rescue teams were working round the clock with only two-hour rest breaks to ensure the first responders most familiar with the layout maximise their time on site.

The risk of another avalanche remained high and snow and fog continued to hamper the rescue effort in the mountains of central Italy. Work was focused on reaching a section of the back of the hotel that was protected by a rock buffer.

"We are fairly confident there are rooms intact there," Cari said. "The problem is getting to them. We don't have much room to manoeuvre, the holes we are climbing down into are narrow, and then we have to break through very thick walls to get into rooms, hoping to find someone inside."