Rescuers work at a collapsed house following an quake in Amatrice, Aug. 26, 2016.
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Firefighters operate a drone to survey damages in the church of the village of Cossito, central Italy, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016.
He also expressed a “spiritual closeness” to residents of the mountain villages in a remote area straddling the Umbria, Marche and Lazio regions that were struck by Wednesday’s natural disaster.
He urged Italians to go out in force to visit museums and archaeological sites “in a concrete sign of solidarity” with quake victims, who would be supported by the money raised. In a preliminary report, the Carabinieri Art Squad – a branch of the Italian national police – listed more than 50 historic sites gravely damaged or destroyed in the natural disaster.
Sniffer dogs managed to find the girls and firemen dug them out of the rubble after being trapped for 16 hours.
“Unfortunately, the numbers are still the same, as you know at the moment the death toll is 290 due to a correction that was made by the Rieti prefect office”.
By comparison, there are only 5,000 permanent residents living in the areas affected by Wednesday’s natural disaster. But firefighters are entering the homes wherever possible to retrieve items such as photographs.
Victims and bodies were still being extricated Saturday from collapsed bricks and beams in the medieval city of Amatrice, and surrounding villages.
Saturday’s funeral involved most of the dead from Arquata del Tronto. At the same time, he told them not to lose courage.
Italy began the painful task of burying its dead Saturday following a massive quake, as aftershocks rattled the heart of the country and the death toll climbed to 291. “That’s not official, but we have got the equipment for that”, said a volunteer for the civil protection agency who gave his name as Nicola.
Today, Italians joined in a day of national mourning for victims of the 6.2 magnitude natural disaster that struck central Italy on Wednesday, killing 291 people.
“Dear brothers and sisters, as soon as it is possible, I hope to come and visit you”, he said. The school was renovated in 2012 to resist earthquakes at a cost of 700,000 euros ($785,000).
The chief prosecutor of the province of Rieti, Giuseppe Saieva, told The Guardian that “everyone suspects such a tragedy was not just a question of destiny”.
Meanwhile museums across Italy will donate proceeds from Sunday’s ticket sales to help the rebuilding effort and football teams will hold a minute’s silence before their weekend matches out of respect for the victims.
Wednesday’s 6.2 magnitude quake destroyed not only private homes but also churches and other centuries-old cultural treasures. “He said the idea is to harness the nation’s rich artistic heritage to help recover and restore other art damaged by the quake”, as Eleanor reports.
Culture Minster Dario Franceschini appealed to Italians to “go to museum in a sign of solidarity with people affected by the natural disaster”.
It’s one of several efforts that have sprung up to help the towns rebuild – restaurants in Italy and elsewhere are also serving up pasta Amatriciana, the region’s most famous dish, in another fundraising effort.
Nobody has been found alive in Italy’s quake ruins since Wednesday, and hopes have vanished of finding any more survivors.
Overnight was relatively calm, the first since the quake struck without strong aftershocks. Funerals took place for 35 of the victims in Ascoli Piceno, attended by President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. When at the end of the service, one young man was comforted by president Mattarella, he simply collapsed into the president’s arms, crying his eyes out. One woman consoled her husband by rubbing his back gently as he bowed his head.
Relatives of the dead sat on chairs next to the coffins or knelt on the floor, their arms resting on the caskets, which were covered in flowers. Residents of the hill town said up to 10 people were still missing. “Each one of us has our pain inside”.
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Some of the survivors in the camps of blue tents accommodating those who have lost their homes said that on top of everything else, they had to battle against boredom.
