Italian court acquits most over 29 avalanche deaths in hotel

ROME (AP) — Italian media say a court has acquitted 25 of the 30 defendants on trial for a deadly avalanche at an Apennine mountain hotel. Tons of snow on Jan. 18, 2017, smashed into Hotel Rigopiano in the town of Farindola. Of guests and staff, 29 perished. Prosecutors alleged that local officials and the hotel’s owner and manager held various degrees of responsibility in the disaster. But the court in Pescara Thursday rejected prosecutors’ bid for harsh verdicts. Italian daily Corriere della Sera said convictions of five defendants came on lesser charges, such as failure to clear the road for prompt rescue. Victims’ relatives shouted “shame!” after the court’s ruling.