Puppies found alive at avalanche site as search for the missing continues

Firefighter spokesman Fabio German said the three puppies showed conditions under the snow could still support life.

Emergency crews were cheered today by the discovery of three puppies who had survived for days under tons of snow - giving them new hope for the 23 people still missing in the Italian avalanche disaster.

The first human survivors, meanwhile, were released from the hospital as questions intensified into whether Italian authorities underestimated the risks facing the snowbound resort in the hours before a deadly avalanche.