A relative of a victim cries in front of the coffin before the mass funeral for some of the victims of the natural disaster that devastated central Italy on 24 August, in Ascoli Piceno, Marche region, Italy, 27 August 2016.
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Reporting from a state funeral in the town of Ascoli Piceno, NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley described a community overcome with grief.
The coffins, which were laid out in rows on the floor, included two painted white for two children killed.
The death rose to 284 after three more bodies were recovered overnight from the rubble of Amatrice. The president thanked rescue workers, who have been working non-stop in hopes of still finding some people trapped in the piles of rock and metal debris.
The first funeral of a victim was held in Rome on Friday, for Marco Santarelli, the 28-year-old son of a senior state official, who died in the family’s holiday home in Amatrice. “Then I understood that they needed as much help as possible, and I want to do my part”.
After a 2009 quake in nearby L’Aquila left 300 people dead, authorities released €1bn to upgrade buildings in the region, but takeup has been low.
She was one of the last survivors to be rescued and there have been no reports of anyone being found alive since late Wednesday. “It is a great opportunity for politicians to show extraordinary commitment”, mayor Sergio Pirozzi told president Mattarella. “Only together can we rebuild our houses and our churches”.
Others hugged each other tight as Giovanni D’Ercole, the bishop of Ascoli, implored them not to lose faith.
More than 1050 aftershocks have hit the area since the 6.2 magnitude quake early on Wednesday, bringing fresh damage to structures still standing.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is due to attend state funerals in the regional capital, Ascoli Piceno, for victims from the town of Arquata.
‘My thoughts are with them because there are people who have lost everything, homes, loved ones and the sacrifices made in life.
“There are still aftershocks preceded by booms and, for those of us who have just lived through an quake, it has a great effect, particularly psychologically”, she said.
As people shuffled around in this overheated, stuffy sports hall where some of the bodies gathered after the quake had begun to smell, the experience must have seemed like another day in hell for the relatives.
Hundreds of people have been left homeless by the quake, with many spending their nights in tent cities and a gym in Amatrice, where volunteers are working to provide basic amenities.
Hardly a single building was left unscathed in Amatrice, which was previous year voted one of the most handsome old towns in Italy and is famous for its local cuisine.
Many people are still believed to be buried under rubble, and numerous missing are foreigners and vacationers visiting the historic region.
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Residents of central Italy were rattled by a series of aftershocks overnight, the strongest measuring 4.2.
