On Thursday, the officials said at least 241 people were killed as a result of the natural disaster. But there was one instance of hope as rescuers sifted through the debris. On Thursday, the sun rose on frightened people who had slept in cars or tents, the earth continuing to tremble under their feet.
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There have been hundreds of aftershocks since the quake struck, hampering relief efforts and damaging already unstable buildings.
At least three Britons have been killed by the magnitude 6.2 natural disaster that hit central Italy, according to Italian officials.
Aerial photographs showed whole areas of Amatrice, a year ago voted one of Italy’s most lovely historic towns, flattened by the quake. It was only one of the more than 470 temblors that have followed Wednesday’s pre-dawn quake.
One hotel that collapsed in the small town of Amatrice probably had about 70 guests and only seven bodies had been recovered so far, said the mayor of the one of the worst-hit towns.
He said Wednesday’s focus is to save as many people as possible, adding that the region is popular with summer tourists.
Rescue workers in Italy were jubilant Wednesday as they pulled a 10-year-old girl from the wreckage of a massive quake.
Many other residents have been trapped under rubble, or have had to flee their homes. A family of four, including two boys aged 8 months and 9 years, were buried when a church bell tower toppled into their house in nearby Accumoli.
Premier Matteo Renzi visited the zone Wednesday, greeted rescue teams and survivors, and pledged that “No family, no city, no hamlet will be left behind”.
“The situation is dramatic, there are many dead”, said Amatrice mayor Sergio Pirozzi.
Searches for survivors have continued into a second day, as rescuers hunt through the rubble of destroyed historic villages, some of which have been practically wiped out.
In recent Italian quakes, some modern buildings – many of them public institutions – have been the deadliest. Neighbouring Umbria was also affected.
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One rescue was particularly delicate as a ranger in Capodacqua, in the Marche province of Ascoli Piceno, diplomatically tried to keep an 80-year-old woman calm as she begged to get to a toilet, even though she was trapped in the rubble. At the same time, the country has countless picturesque medieval villages but its anti-seismic building codes aren’t applied to old buildings and often aren’t respected when new ones are built.
