Civil protection officials gave the updated toll late Friday, raising it from 278 after three more bodies were found in Amatrice, the town most badly affected by the violent temblor that hit central Italy this week.
Officials said 221 people were killed in Amatrice, 11 in Accumoli and 49 in Arquata del Tronto.
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26/08/2016
22:24
Hopes of finding more survivors from Italy`s powerful earthquake faded on Friday, with the death toll rising to 278 and the rescue operation in some of the stricken areas called off.
Three days after the quake struck the mountainous heart of the country, sniffer dogs and emergency crews continued to scour the town of Amatrice, which was leveled in the disaster, but there was no sign of life beneath the debris.
"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.
In nearby villages, such as Pescara del Tronto, rescuers pulled out after all the inhabitants had been accounted for.
Italy plans to hold a state funeral for around 40 of the victims on Saturday, which will be held in the nearby city of Ascoli Piceno. A day of national mourning was announced, with flags due to fly at half mast around the country for the dead, who include a number of foreigners.
The civil protection department in Rome said nearly 400 people were being treated for injuries in hospitals, and 40 of them were in critical condition. An estimated 2,500 people were left homeless by the most deadly quake in Italy since 2009.
Survivors with nowhere else to go are sleeping in neat rows of blue tents set up close to their flattened communities. The government has promised to rebuild the region, but some local people feared that would never happen.
"I`m afraid our village and others like it will just die. Most people don`t live here year round anyway. In the winter time the towns are virtually empty," said Salvatore Petrucci, 77, who came from the nearby hamlet of Trisunga.
"We may be the last ones to have lived in Trisunga."
More than 920 aftershocks have hit the area since the original 6.2 magnitude quake struck early on Wednesday, bringing fresh damage to structures still standing. These included a bridge leading to Amatrice, which had to be closed, further complicating the rescue operation.
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11:02
The number of people killed in the massive earthquake that shook central Italy on Wednesday rose to 267 on Friday and nearly 400 injured people were in hospitals, the Civil Protection department said.
It said aftershocks were continuing in the area. More than 900 aftershocks have been registered since the quake struck, 57 of them since midnight.
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25/08/2016
10:37
The death toll from a devastating earthquake in central Italy rose sharply to almost 250 people early on Thursday after rescue teams worked through the night to try to find survivors under the rubble of flattened towns.
The provisional toll jumped to 247 from the 159 dead listed on Wednesday night, national and regional officials said as a wave of aftershocks rattled a cluster of mountain communities 140 km (85 miles) east of Rome.
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09:07
At least 247 people were killed after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck central Italy Wednesday, according to Italy`s Civil Protection Department.
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22:03
Italian Premier Matteo Renzi says the death toll from the quake that hit central Italy has risen to 120, AP reported.
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21:05
At least 84 people were killed in a powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit central Italy, and the death toll is expected to rise, local media report. Several cities and towns have been severely damaged or reduced to rubble, officials said.
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19:33
At least 73 people died in an earthquake that struck a mountain range in central Italy, the country`s Civil Protection department spokeswoman Immacolata Postiglione said Wednesday.
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17:45
At least 63 people were reported killed and dozens more were missing or feared dead Wednesday after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake and a series of aftershocks struck several towns in central Italy, according Italy`s civil protection agency.
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17:04
Updated figures show at least 45 people have died in an earthquake that struck central Italy early Wednesday, with unofficial accounts saying the toll may be as high as 63.
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15:13
At least 38 people were killed in the 6.2 magnitude quake, which sent residents fleeing their homes and running into the streets. A family of four were also trapped under the rubble and showing no signs of life.
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14:01
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake has struck central Italy, leaving at least 37 people dead and 150 missing, as rescuers search for survivors.
Many of the dead were in the village of Pescara del Tronto which was levelled to the ground and there were fears the number of casualties could rise.
Much of the town of Amatrice was reduced to rubble and a family of four were feared dead nearby in Accumoli.
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12:36
A strong, shallow earthquake hit central Italy early Wednesday, leaving terrified residents huddled outside collapsed buildings overnight and an unknown number of people trapped beneath the rubble.
At least 21 people have died as a result of the 6.2-magnitude earthquake, according to CNN affiliate Rai, all in three badly-affected villages in a mountainous area of central Italy. Ten people were killed in the village of Pescara del Tronto, six in Accumoli and five in Amatrice, Rai reported.
***
10:33
A powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake followed by a series of aftershocks has rocked central Italy. Strong tremors were felt in the country`s capital, Rome, and several small towns and villages have been seriously damaged with at least 10 people reportedly killed.
The quake hit at 01:36 GMT with an epicenter 76 kilometers southeast of the city of Perugia, the US Geological Survey reported.
The town of Norcia, home to some 5,000 residents, lies just 10km southeast of the quake`s epicenter, according to US Geological Survey (USGS). The ancient Italian city of Spoleto in the Perugia province with some 40,000 residents is located 35km east of the quake.
The shaking appears to have woken up quite a few residents in central Italy. Besides Rome, aftershocks were also felt in Florence.
Jenny Parkinson, a Rome resident, wrote on Twitter the building she was inside “swayed for what seemed an age – bed rocking, lightshades swinging. Horrid!”
The tremors lasted for about 20-30 seconds, eyewitnesses say.
A series of strong aftershocks followed the initial quake, with one of them having an estimated magnitude of at least 5.4.
People have reportedly run in panic into the streets in central Umbria and Le Marche regions, according to RAI radio, cited by AFP.
The Italian authorities are monitoring the situation and have been in contact with the Civil Protection Agency, the prime minister`s spokesman said on Twitter.
`Town doesn`t exist anymore`
Caterpillar Radio2 reported “many collapses” in the town of Amatrice in the Rieti province.
Although, there is no information on the casualties yet, several people are trapped under the rubble, the mayor confirmed, La Republica reported.
“There`s been a landslide and a bridge might collapse,” the mayor told RAI. The national civil protection agency stated the earthquake is estimated to be “severe,” Reuters reported.
Multiple reports of damages are coming in on Twitter. Apart from Amatrice, buildings have collapsed in Arquata and Norcia. At least two deaths due to the earthquake were reported in Arquata, according to RailNews 24.
Four people have been confirmed dead by the mayor of the town of Accumoli, RailNews reported.
“Four people are under the rubble, but they are not showing any sign of life. Two parents and two children,” Accumoli Mayor Stefano Petrucci said, as cited by RAI television.
According to RAI sources, two people were killed in the village of Pescara del Tronto, some 13 kilometers from Accumoli.
"Here we are collapsing, we are in an emergency," Petrucci said, as cited by Italian news agency Andkronos.
The death toll is expected to rise as more people, including a family with two children, are trapped under the ruble, the mayor added.
"It`s a disaster, we can`t coordinate the relief efforts. I also know of confirmed casualties in Illica," he said, as cited by the Telegraph.
The USGS graphics suggest “significant casualties” are likely to occur in Central Italy with small town of Accumoli, Norcia, Maltignano, Amatrice, Cascia and Cittareale are listed as most exposed to the quake. The economic damages are expected to be significant and “likely widespread.”
“Past events with this alert level have required a national or international level response,” the USGS states.
