Italy Plans State Funeral For The Victims of Magnitude 6.2 Quake

State funeral is planned as Italy quake death toll hits 268

As the number of dead following the magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck Italy, the country now plans to hold a state funeral for some of the victims.

This Saturday, a state funeral is considered for around 40 of the victims, and this will be held in the nearby city of Ascoli Piceno.

Firefighters inspect damaged houses following an earthquake in Pescara del Tronto, central Italy, August 26, 2016. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Flags will be put to half-mast around the country after the day of national mourning was announced.

For the rescuers, hopes of finding more survivors faded on Friday, after the death toll rose to 268 and the rescue operation in some of the stricken areas were suspended due to some difficulties.

Three days after the quake struck the mountainous town of Amatrice, sniffer dogs and emergency crews continued to roam around the town but there was no sign of life beneath the rubble of the buildings.

“Only a miracle can bring our friends back alive from the rubble, but we are still digging because many are missing,” town mayor Sergio Pirozzi told reporters, saying, around 15 people, including some children, had not been accounted for.

Rescuers pulled out in nearby villages, such as the town Pescara del Tronto, after all the inhabitants had been accounted for.

The civil protection department in Rome, the capital city, said almost 400 people were being treated in the hospitals for injuries, and 40 of them were in critical condition.

The interior of a damaged house is seen following an earthquake at Pescara del Tronto, central Italy, August 26, 2016. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Few days after the first tremor, more than 920 aftershocks have hit the area since early on, causing new damage to structures still standing.

Rescue operations become complicated when the bridge leading to Amatrice had to be closed because of the damage brought by some strong aftershocks.

Many foreigners who were spending vacation in Amatrice when the quake happened included six Romanians, a Spanish woman, a Canadian and an Albanian. Three British holidaymakers, including a 14-year-old boy, also died.

The area is famous with vacationers from other countries that’s why local authorities were struggling to determine how many visitors were present when the quake hit. It is difficult for them to account the actual number of missing as of this time.

According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, 17 Romanians were still missing.

On Friday, the first funeral of a victim was held in Rome, for Marco Santarelli, the 28-year-old son of a senior state official, who died in the holiday home of the family in the hardly-hit town of Amatrice.

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