The national mourning will include a state funeral for some of the victims in Ascoli Piceno to be attended by Premier Matteo Renzi and President Sergio Mattarella.
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“Together we will rebuild our houses and churches, together above all we will give life back to our communities … the village bells will ring once more”. Other funerals took place Friday, with the majority still to come.
ASCOLI PICENO, ITALY-A young man wept over a little girl’s white coffin, while a woman nearby gently stroked another small casket, as Italians bid farewell Saturday to victims of the devastating quake that struck a mountainous region of central Italy this week.
People attend a funeral service for victims of the quake, at a gymnasium arranged in a chapel of rest on August 27 in Ascoli Piceno, three days after a 6.2-magnitude natural disaster struck the region.
Ahead of the funeral, the president visited Amatrice, where 230 people died. Also hard hit were the towns of Arquato del Tronto, with 49, and Accumoli, with 11. 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.
Mattarella was guided by town mayor, Sergio Pirozzi, who showed him the extent of the damage.
Giulia’s sister, Giorgia, was pulled alive from the rubble Wednesday after being buried for many hours.
As weeping Italians bid Giulia and 34 other quake victims farewell with a state funeral, Giorgia spent her fourth birthday in a nearby hospital Saturday, recovering from her ordeal.
Giovanni D’Ercole, bishop of Ascoli Piceno, spreads incense during a funeral service for victims of the quake.
Others hugged each other tight as Giovanni D’Ercole, the bishop of Ascoli, implored them not to lose faith. Her sister Giulia’s small coffin lay in the center of the sports hall for the funeral Mass.
The ministry said Romanian consular authorities were working with information they received from Italian authorities and from Romanian families who have been affected by the quake.
Many children and elderly people were killed.
The one-street village of Saletta had less than 20 permanent residents but with its population swollen by summer visitors 22 people died there. “You feel a sense of weakness, of depression”, said Fiore Ciotto, a resident of Ascoli Piceno who attended the funeral. He was joined by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, parliamentary chiefs and local mayors.
Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors from Italy’s natural disaster.
Saturday’s early morning aftershock had a magnitude of 4.2, according to the Geological Service, while the Italian geophysics institute measured it at 4.
Italian scientific authorities say that satellite images show that the ground below Accumoli sank 20 centimeters (8 inches) due to the quake.
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Some 2,500 people have been left homeless by the quake, and authorities said the priority was to allow them to continue living in their towns, ensuring basic services and accommodation in temporary structures.
