Updated

Emergency crews have extracted four more survivors from the rubble of a hotel crushed by an avalanche and are searching for more as family members await word if their relatives are among the lucky ones to get out.

Firefighter spokesman Alberto Maiolo says so far rescue teams have located 11 people alive, including the four who were pulled out overnight.

In addition, four bodies have been recovered.

The survivors include all four children who were in the Hotel Rigopiano in central Italy's snow-covered Gran Sasso mountain range when the avalanche struck Wednesday afternoon.