Avalanche buries Hotel Rigopiano in Abruzzo region

Up to 30 people missing, reports of 'many dead'

Two survivors accounted for

Guests 'sent desperate text messages for help'

Italy hit by series of earthquakes on Wednesday

Travel advice: Is it safe to visit central Italy?

It was a simple errand that saved his life. Giampero Parete, a chef on holiday with his family, nipped out to fetch medicine from the car for his wife's headache.

But as he turned back towards the four star hotel in the mountains of central Italy, he saw the building engulfed in a rolling wall of snow, ice, rocks and debris.

"I saw a large part of the hotel buried by the snow," he said on Thursday. "I've lost everything. I tried to get inside but I risked being trapped."

His wife Adriana and their two young children, Ludovica and Gianfilipo, were still missing last night, after the avalanche all but destroyed the mountain resort, with up to 30 people feared dead.