It seemed the bed was walking across the room by itself with us on it, ‘ said Lina Mercantini, of Cesalli, Umbria. “God bless your work and make you be a reference in relief and hope in Jesus Christ”.
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Central Italy continues to be rocked by a devastating 6.2 magnitude natural disaster that struck the region early on Wednesday morning. This is proving to be challenging for officials to move heavy machinery to the quake-struck areas.
Monica, who is from the town, said: “We were sleeping in the auto and there were shocks all night”. At least 11 people were reported dead in two hard-hit towns where rescue crews raced to dig survivors out of the rubble, but the toll was expected to rise as crews reached homes in more remote hamlets.
Italy’s Civil Protection agency said the quake was “severe”, Reuters reported. It is believed dozens of people are still trapped in the villages of Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto, in mountainous central Italy.
Worst affected by the quake were the tiny towns of Amatrice and Accumoli near Rieti, 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Rome, and Pescara del Tronto, 25 kilometers (15 miles) further to the east.
Seventeen hours after a deadly quake struck central Italy, rescue workers managed to pull alive a 10-year-old girl from rubble in Pescara del Tronto on Wednesday.
Many other children were not so lucky. But, two other children aged four and seven were saved by their grandmother, who ushered them under a bed as soon as the shaking began.
Jubilant rescuers shouted “she’s alive” as she was carried away.
“It was necessary to do this to be able to identify the bodies and to get a green light to bury them”, Chief Prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva told Adnkronos.
Renzi said the Cabinet would meet on Thursday to decide measures to help the affected communities.
“Today is a day for tears, tomorrow we can talk of reconstruction”, he told reporters late on Wednesday. “Quiet, quiet”, one rescue worker said, according to The Associated Press, before urging her: “Come on, Giulia, come on, Giulia”.
“The situation is dramatic, there are many dead”, said Amatrice mayor Sergio Pirozzi. All three regions are dotted with centuries-old buildings susceptible to earthquakes.
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Premier Matteo Renzi, visiting the quake-affected area on Wednesday, promised to rebuild “and guarantee a reconstruction that will allow residents to live in these communities, to relaunch these lovely towns that have a wonderful past that will never end”. A 5.4-magnitude aftershock followed an hour later.
