Earlier on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said “a number of British nationals” had been affected by Wednesday’s 6.2-magnitude quake in central Italy.
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Amatrice is one of the worst affected areas, along with the towns of Arquata, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto.
At least 240 people were killed and countless more injured when a 6.2-magnitude natural disaster struck central Italy on Tuesday night.
The Foreign Office have not confirmed the deaths and would not give any information as to whether any British nationals had been injured, as the death toll from the disaster continues to rise to at least 250 people.
On Thursday, Global Affairs Canada confirmed at least one citizen was among the almost 250 people that were killed as a result of Wednesday’s quake.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday spoke with Italian President Sergio Mattarella to express “his deepest condolences” to the president and to the people of Italy for the loss of life and destruction caused by a powerful quake, a UN spokesman told reporters here.
Dion said he had spoken with his Italian counterpart to express Canada’s condolences and support, and officials said the government is waiting for any request for assistance. Rescue teams using sniffer dogs, bulldozers and their bare hands worked through the night in a desperate search for survivors.
A day after the shallow quake levelled three small towns, a 4.3 magnitude aftershock hit the already-devastated settlement of Amatrice.
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The towns are usually sparsely populated but numbers staying there have been swelled by tourists visiting for summer, making it hard to estimate the precise number missing.
