Global Affairs Canada says at least one Canadian was killed and another was injured during this week’s devastating natural disaster in central Italy.
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The quake, which was felt across much of central Italy, including in Rome and Florence, flattened nearly all of the small towns of Amatrice and Accumoli and caused extensive damage to a raft of others.
An official in Amatrice told the BBC at least three British citizens were among the town’s dead.
The centuries-old town of Amatrice, which was preparing to celebrate a food festival this coming weekend, was essentially reduced to rubble in the quake. The mayor of Amatrice said three-quarters of the town was destroyed. The Civil Protection department officially revised the death toll down to 241 from a previous 247 given earlier on Thursday morning. The aftershock crumbled already cracked buildings, rattled residents and closed already clogged roads. Authorities and the local community believe there are still survivors under the rubble.
To respond to the crisis, Italian government deployed more than 5,300 rescuers. Rescue workers pulled five bodies from the rubble of the hotel but had to halt rescue operations late on Wednesday night as it was too risky working in the dark.
The search went overnight amid the danger of the of aftershock.
Italian Minister of Health Beatrice Lorenzin said numerous victims are children.
However, in nearby Arquata, victims included 18-month-old Marisol Piermarini, who was killed when her family home collapsed.
Death toll reached 190 in Rieti province and 57 in neighbouring Ascoli Piceno province. The two girls were found buried together in the rubble of their holiday home in the village of Pescara del Tronto but only one of them survived, the Mail reported.
Amid the tragedy, some moments of optimism have emerged, including the miraculous rescue of a girl who was trapped in the rubble for more than 17 hours. Sky TG24 captured the moment the girl was lifted to safety, a video shared throughout the world.
It comes after the United Kingdom government said it had offered help with the recovery effort following Wednesday’s quake, which killed at least 250 people.
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In one of the most remarkable stories of courage an eight-year-old girl sacrificed her own life by throwing herself on top of her younger sister as the rubble from the devastating natural disaster encased them, according to a Daily Mail report.
