Video report by ITV News Correspondent Geraint Vincent

Ten people, including two children, have been found alive in an Italian hotel hit by an avalanche on Wednesday.

Five of the group, four believed to be minors, have now been rescued.

A further five are yet to be pulled out from the Hotel Rigopiano in the central Abruzzo region.

"They are alive and we are talking to them," fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari told Reuters, speaking from the scene.

Up to 30 people were left trapped inside the remote Italian mountain resort.

Hopes of finding anyone alive was fading after it took rescue workers hours to access the site.

The hotel was moved from its foundations by a huge avalanche following a series of strong earthquakes in central Italy.

Rescue crews have been searching by hand through piles of snow and debris. Credit: AP

Two bodies were recovered from the hotel on Thursday but it is feared 'many more' could be inside the building in the mountains of the Gran Sasso range.

Two people who were outside the resort when it was buried escaped the avalanche and managed to call for help.

Firefighters who arrived at the hotel said it had been "swept away and only a little piece remained upright".