Number of dead and missing was uncertain after the Italy earthquake
The death toll following the magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck central Italy rose to 247, but the number of dead and missing was still uncertain.
The magnitude 6.2 quake struck at 3:36 a.m. on Wednesday and was also felt across a wide part of central Italy, including Rome, where residents woke early morning because their houses are swaying followed by aftershocks.
The earthquake shook the Lazio region and Umbria and Le Marche, a highly seismic area that has experienced major quakes in the past and continued to shake early Thursday with aftershocks.
Officials said 190 of the total deaths were residents of the Rieti province alone, while 57 others were in the neighbouring Ascoli Piceno province.
Today, rescue workers are still trying to search for people trapped in the debris in the towns of Amatrice and Accumoli, the worst affected areas in Italy.
The quake was shallow, estimated to have struck after 3:30am at a depth of six miles, was felt across a big section of central Italy, including Rome, the capital city.
“What can I tell you? It’s a tragedy,” said Sergio Perozzi, the mayor of Amatrice, Rieti.
“Half the town is gone. There are people under the rubble … There’s been a landslide and a bridge might collapse.”
Around the country, dozens of people were pulled out alive by rescue teams and volunteers trying to save any one.
Seventeen hours after the quake struck, firefighters who are part of the rescue team pulled a 10-year-old girl alive from the rubble in the town of Pescara del Tronto.
Using heavy equipment and their bare hands to shift the debris, more than 4,300 emergency service workers have been summoned to the region.
The health minister of Italy has warned that many of the victims are children, young, and the death toll was expected to rise in the coming days.
While many bodies have been uncovered, hope returned for more survivors in the aftermath of the devastating quake after crews pulled a little girl alive from a mountain of debris.
The national blood drive association of the country asked for donations to Rieti’s hospital.
Many rescue teams are taking part including the army, Alpine crews, carabineri, firefighters, Red Cross crews and volunteers.
