State of Emergency Declared in Italy Following Strong Quake

Aftershocks hamper rescue efforts following the magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Italy

The state of emergency was declared in Italy after the magnitude 6.2 earthquake early Wednesday which resulted to the death of more than 250 people and almost 400 were injured.

At least eight foreigners were among the 250 people killed, officials said, as rescuers continued the grim search for corpses on Friday.

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The 6.2-magnitude quake hit at 03:36 (01:36 GMT), 100km (65 miles) north-east of Rome in mountainous central Italy.

The bulk of the confirmed deaths – 193 at the latest count – were in the small mountain town of Amatrice, which normally has a population of around 2,500 but was packed with visitors when the quake struck as people slept in the early hours of Wednesday.

Two British nationals killed in the quake were owners of a house in the village of Sommati, about 2km (1.3 miles) from Amatrice.

The Italian Council of Ministers approved a state of emergency for the regions affected by the earthquake Thursday, allocating 50 million euros of emergency funding.

Rescuers are desperate to find anyone who might miraculously have survived this week’s quake.

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Hundreds of aftershocks have rocked devastated areas of central Italy, hampering search efforts after a deadly earthquake.

A 4.1 magnitude aftershock on Thursday shook aid workers as they sorted through debris in the afternoon sun in the town of Amatrice, one of many tremors to have followed Wednesday morning’s quake that reduced villages to rubble.

About 5,000 rescue workers are combing through rubble for survivors using heavy machinery or bare hands.

More than 300 people have been treated in hospital and dozens are believed to be trapped under rubble.

Worst affected are the towns of Amatrice, Arquata, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto.

The towns are usually sparsely populated but have been swelled by tourists visiting for summer, making estimates for the precise number missing difficult.

The Italian Red Cross says residents’ home networks can assist with communications during the search for survivors.

But rescuers, including foreign search crews, were also using sound detectors, hoping to find more survivors.

With heavy lifting equipment just starting to reach isolated villages and towns that were cut off by landslides and building debris, people used tractors, farm equipment and simple hand tools to break through what was left of old stone villas.

It was more bad news for rescuers, who have been desperately combing through mountains of rubble for a second day. Wednesday’s quake blocked off narrow streets in ancient towns, making the rescue operation extremely difficult.

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