World News for Students of English

23-01-2017 15:00

It was a race against time in the worst possible conditions. A rescue team went toward an isolated hotel left buried under heavy snow after four earthquakes triggered an avalanche in the central Italian region. People believed that at least 20 guests and seven members of staff were trapped inside the hotel while the road was still blocked by snow and vehicles were of little use.

The team of rescuers was forced to go through the blizzard on skis with only the light from their head torches to help navigate through the terrain.

Once they make it to the site, the desperate search for life began. After digging their way inside, one lucky guest emerged, shaken but unharmed, but the fate of many others is still uncertain.

In August last year, a huge earthquake hit the same mountainous region, which left 298 people dead. This latest natural disaster is likely to deliver a fresh tragedy.

Difficult words: region (a big area), trigger (start), torch (a small battery powered thing that produces light).

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