Man found still alive under landslide wreckage as four bodies are located

Some 150 rescuers working in darkness and sub-zero temperatures found a man alive under the wreckage of two ski lodges at Thredbo…

Some 150 rescuers working in darkness and sub-zero temperatures found a man alive under the wreckage of two ski lodges at Thredbo, in the Snowy Mountains, 500 km south of Sydney, last night, after they had earlier discovered four bodies."A miracle has occurred," area commander Mr Charlie Sanderson told reporters.Efforts to free the man, however, were halted by another slippage at the site.Of the bodies found earlier, only one has been removed due to the dangerous conditions, with mud and debris up to 10 metres thick.So far none of the dead has been identified and relatives of those missing in the ski resort have been told to expect the worst. Most of the missing, after the landslide swept away two ski lodges, were among the 300 long-term residents of the picture postcard village.Families and friends were distressed and exhausted when they attended a service at Thredbo's small chapel. "They are angry because their loved one is somewhere underground. They said they need some action," said Father Wally Stefanski.But they were not the only ones frustrated by the slow and painstaking progress of the rescue. Some 400 emergency workers stood by helplessly for hours as efforts were made to stabilise a boulder the size of a truck perched above them. Police said the excavations were so hazardous it could be more than a week before all those missing are accounted for. And the state's most senior coroner has warned identification of bodies could be a long and difficult process. Meanwhile, a leading geophysicist has called for an investigation into how uncompacted landfill was used near the site of the collapse on the Alpine Way road.The resort management said it would reopen the resort today.