Italy earthquake: Death toll hits 250 as survivors recount narrow escape

Updated

The death toll from the powerful earthquake in central Italy has reached 250, amid fears many more bodies remain buried in the rubble of devastated mountain villages.

As rescuers sifted through collapsed masonry in the search for survivors, questions mounted as to why there had been so many deaths so soon after the 2009 L'Aquila disaster, exposing Italy's vulnerability to earthquakes.

"In Amatrice alone we are already over 200 deaths," said Sergio Pirozzi, the mayor of one of the worst-affected villages, suggesting the total number of victims could rise significantly.

Amatrice normally has a population of around 2,500 but it was packed with visitors when the quake struck as people slept in the early hours of Wednesday.

The fate of 28 of 32 guests staying in the village's Hotel Roma was still unclear.

The Red Cross began shipping in food and water supplies for homeless residents.

Among those who came to pick up emergency provisions were Maria Atrimala, 48, and her 15-year-old daughter.

"We escaped by pure luck, the stairs of the house held and we ran, blindly in the dark and dust," she said with tears rolling down her face.

"When we got out we could hear the cries of people still trapped and we helped those we could.

"We were in L'Aquila when the earthquake struck there, and now this. We have friends, relatives that didn't make it. What the future holds I don't know."

Sorry, this video has expired Video: Drone footage shows Amatrice earthquake devastation (ABC News)

'Nothing has ever been done'

Although rescue workers were pessimistic about the chance of finding any more survivors, officials stressed that the last survivor in nearby L'Aquila in the 2009 quake was pulled from the rubble some 72 hours after it struck.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was chairing an emergency cabinet meeting on the crisis.

"The objective is to rebuild and start again," he said, vowing lessons would be learned from L'Aquila, which still bears huge scars from the 2009 quake that left 300 people dead.

After L'Aquila, the Civil Protection agency made almost 1 billion euros available for upgrading buildings in seismically-vulnerable areas.

But the take-up of grants has been low, largely because of the cumbersome application process, according to critics.

"Here in the middle of a seismic zone, nothing has ever been done," said Dario Nanni of the Italian Council of Architects.

"It does not cost that much more when renovating a building to make it comply with earthquake standards. But less than 20 per cent of buildings do."

Mr Nanni said the quake's impact had been increased by the widespread use of cement rather than wood beams.

"These indestructible beams hit walls like a hammer and that is what made so many (houses) collapse."

One building which was supposed to be quake-proof was the Romolo Capranica school in Amatrice, which collapsed on Wednesday.

That was in sharp contrast to the oldest building in the town, the 13th-century Civic Tower, which was still standing Thursday, despite having been shaken sufficiently to detach its bell.

The bell tower in nearby Accumoli did collapse, onto a quake-proofed house next door, killing a couple and their two toddlers.

Local mayor Stefano Petrucci denied there had been negligence in the maintenance of the tower.

"I don't want to get into a row about that now, we are already suffering too much," he said.

AFP

Topics: earthquake, italy

First posted</s>CLOSE Rescuers cheered when the 10-year-old girl was safely pulled from the rubble in Pescara del Tronto. USA TODAY NETWORK

Rescuers clear debris while searching for earthquake victims in damaged buildings on Aug. 24, in Arquata del Tronto, Italy. (Photo: Getty Images)

AMATRICE, Italy — Work crews digging through rubble in quake-ravaged mountainous towns in central Italy found more bodies Thursday, bringing the death toll to at least 267. But they also found rare moments of joy when their frenzied, round-the-clock excavation freed survivors still trapped for more than a day beneath tons of rock and metal.

“We just pulled a woman from the rubble," said Claudio Catanese, 32, a fireman and volunteer rescuer working in the hard hit town of Amatrice. "She was in good health, feeling fine, and just thirsty and hungry after 36 hours under rocks and dust. The first thing she did was ask for a glass of water."

He said the work, nonstop, is hard, but critical. "You don’t sleep and your muscles hurt," Catanese said. "But when you save someone’s life, it fills you with new energy. There’s a great satisfaction in that."

In Pescara del Tronto, firefighters plucked an 10-year-old girl named Giorgia from the rubble where she had been trapped for 16 hours. Rescuers said they were able to locate the area of Giorgia's room and started digging until they reached her. They also found the body of her sister, who was lying next to her, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Italy’s civil protection agency said early Thursday that at least 250 people were killed and at least 365 others hospitalized. A Spaniard and five Romanians were among the dead, according to their governments. If the death toll tops 300 it will be the deadliest earthquake in modern Italian history, surpassing the total from the 2009 quake in L’Aquilla.

Most of the victims — 184 — were found in Amatrice, a picturesque medieval town of around 3,000 people.

The 6.2-magnitude quake struck at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, sending tons of stone walls on many victims while they were sleeping. But rescue workers and civil protection officials said the death toll would have been worse if it hit during the day when many of the public buildings destroyed were occupied.

In Amatrice, some people whose houses were built on a slant were especially lucky. They awoke from their sleep unscathed to find the outside wall of their building collapsed outward.

"They've told us for years we should make our houses anti-seismic," said Gloria Nardo, 69, of Amatrice. "But how do you retrofit a brick house built in 1750? It's almost all gone now."

The search efforts are focused around the isolated hilltop communities of Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto where sniffer dogs, firefighters and paramedics were desperately searching for signs of life amid huge chunks of rock, cement and metal from collapsed homes and buildings.

Thousands of rescuers are using heavy lifting equipment to sift through the rubble but many are also using their bare hands.

At least one major bridge leading to Amatrice was compromised by the temblor and unable to support the weight of the heavy equipment needed to move big pieces of rock or walls. But volunteers were able to reinforce the bridge enough for the equipment to move within about 12 hours of the quake.

One rescue operation was mounted at the Hotel Roma in Amatrice, where an annual spaghetti festival was scheduled this weekend to honor the town's signature bacon and tomato pasta sauce.

Amatrice’s mayor initially said 70 guests were in the collapsed hotel, but rescue workers later cut the estimate in half after the owner said most guests had managed to escape.

Firefighters’ spokesman Luca Cari said one body had been pulled out of the hotel just before dawn after five others were extracted earlier but searches continued there and elsewhere.

CLOSE A 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit the center of Italy in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Before and after photos reveal the devastation.

Meanwhile, a prosecutor in Rieti opened an investigation into possible culpable negligence over the collapse of two recently restored structures — a school in Amatrice and a bell tower in Accumoli, RAI-TV reported.

Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi visited the quake-affected area Wednesday. He vowed to rebuild “and guarantee a reconstruction that will allow residents to live in these communities, to relaunch these beautiful towns that have a wonderful past that will never end.”

Italy's civil protection agency said the first estimate for damage is about $11 billion. The nation’s culture ministry decreed that proceeds from public museums across Italy on Sunday will be dedicated to helping restore damaged buildings in the quake zone, the Associated Press reported. Several churches and other medieval-era buildings were damaged or destroyed.

In a statement Thursday, Culture Minister Dario Franceschini urged Italians to go out in force Sunday to visit museums and Italy’s numerous archaeological sites “in a concrete sign of solidarity” with quake victims.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2bXODXW</s></s>Gain a global perspective on the US and go beyond with curated news and analysis from 600 journalists in 50+ countries covering politics, business, innovation, trends and more.</s>Rescuers search for survivors in Italy after earthquake</s>The death toll from the powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck central Italy on Wednesday has climbed to at least 247.

Fabrizio Curcio, head of Italy’s civil protection agency, revised the death toll after Prime Minister Matteo Renzi earlier gave a toll of 120 dead and 368 injured.

IMAGE: A man is rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy. Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters

Rescuers were working through the night to pull survivors from the rubble and “won’t slow down”, Curcio told public broadcaster Rai.

The quake also left a trail of destruction across several mountain villages packed with holidaymakers.

Renzi said the disaster had caused “a pain without limits”, and insisted it was too early to begin a debate on what might have been done to prevent the disaster.

“Today is the time for tears and emotion,” he said.

IMAGE: A general view of Pescara del Tronto town destroyed by the earthquake. Photograph: Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

The earthquake flattened the town of Amatrice, where the mayor said residents were buried under debris and the town “isn’t here anymore.” The town traces back centuries, to the Roman era.

Tourist Eve Read described what she felt.

“My husband and I woke up, being shaken from side to side in the bed…and probably continued for 6 or 7 seconds after we had woken up,” Read said.

Read and her family were not hurt, but their vacation home did suffer some damage, including a collapsed ceiling.

IMAGE: A man walks through rubble following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy. Photograph: Stefano Rellandini/Reuters

A ten-year-old girl was pulled from the rubble after spending 17 hours trapped upside down in debris from the Italian earthquake.

The child was hauled to safety by rescuers who shouted ‘she's alive’ as they carried her from the ruins of a building in the devastated central Italian town of Pescara del Tronto.

Footage shows just the dust-covered legs of the youngster as emergency crews tried desperately to free her from the rubble.

IMAGE: Rescuers walk through rubble following the earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy. Photograph: Stefano Rellandini/Reuters

One rescuer could be heard saying: “You can hear something under here. Quiet, quiet.” He then urged the child to wriggle free one rescue worker said: “Come on, Giulia, come on, Giulia. ... Watch your head.”

Cheers broke out when she was pulled out.

IMAGE: People cover themselves with blankets as they prepare to spend the night in the open following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy. Photograph: Stefano Rellandini/Reuters

Chefs in Italy and around the world are using their talents, and Amatrice's signature dish, to help raise money for earthquake victims.

Before Wednesday’s devastating, 6.2 magnitude earthquake, the Italian town was best known for spaghetti all Amatriciana, a tomato-based sauce that traditionally includes pork jowl, olive oil, white wine, chili and pecorino cheese.

More than 600 restaurants are putting the pasta dish on their menus and have pledged to donate €2 (Rs 151) from each sale to the Italian Red Cross.

IMAGE: A statue of the Virgin Lady stands outside a destroyed niche following an earthquake at Pescara del Tronto, central Italy. Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters

Art experts fear numerous historic Italian buildings and their contents were damaged in Wednesday’s earthquake, across a region where almost every hilltop town and village has beautiful churches and monuments.

The Dutch classicist David Rijser, an expert on the culture of Abruzzo, said there had been damage to the central region’s many churches, funeral monuments and museums. “It has been a true drama, there is a lot that has been lost,” he told Dutch radio.

IMAGE: escuers clear debris while searching for victims in damaged buildings in Arquata del Tronto, Italy. Photograph: Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

Some of the greatest destruction was in Amatrice, which was voted one of Italy’s most beautiful towns last year and is celebrated for its Cento Chiese, 100 churches filled with frescoes, mosaics and sculptures.

Half the facade of the 15th-century church of Sant Agostino has collapsed, taking with it the beautiful rose window. The courtyard of one of the town’s Renaissance palaces has been turned into a temporary morgue.

The town clock in the 16th-century bell tower remains frozen at just after 3.36 am, the moment the earthquake struck.</s>AMATRICE, Italy—The death toll from a devastating earthquake in central Italy climbed to at least 250 on Thursday and could rise further with rescue teams working for a second day to try to find survivors under the rubble of flattened towns.

The 6.2 magnitude quake struck a cluster of mountain communities 85 miles east of Rome early on Wednesday as people slept, destroying hundreds of homes.

An army of emergency workers using sniffer dogs clambered over piles of debris trying to find anyone still buried beneath, while cranes removed huge slabs of fallen masonry and trucks full of rubble left the area every few minutes.

On Thursday afternoon a violent aftershock measuring magnitude 4.3 sent rescuers fleeing from debris and stones that fell from the severely damaged bell tower of the 15th century church of St. Augustine in Amatrice.

The jolt, which struck fear and panic in survivors, detached the church's facade, leaving it leaning dangerously over the main street where rescuers worked.

The original earthquake was powerful enough to be felt in Bologna to the north and Naples to the south, both more than 135 miles from the epicenter.

Many of those killed or injured were holidaymakers in the four worst-hit towns - Amatrice, Pescara del Tronto, Arquata del Tronto and Accumoli - where seasonal visitors swell populations by up to tenfold the summer.

That makes it harder to track the deaths.

One Spaniard, five Romanians, and a number of other foreigners, some of them caregivers for the elderly, were believed to be among the dead, officials said.

Aerial video taken by drones showed swathes of Amatrice, last year voted one of Italy's most beautiful historic towns, completely flattened. The town, known across Italy and beyond for a local pasta dish, had been filling up for the 50th edition of a popular food festival this weekend.

The mayor said the bodies of 15-20 tourists were believed to be under the rubble of the town's Hotel Roma, which he said had about 32 guests when it collapsed on Wednesday morning.

About 365 people injured in Wednesday's quake were hospitalised, the Civil Protection department said, adding that about 5,000 people, including police, firefighters, army troops and volunteers, were involved in post-quake operations.

Rescuers working with emergency lighting in the darkness overnight saved a 10-year-old girl, pulling her alive from the rubble where she had lain for about 15 hours.

Many other children were not so lucky. A family of four, including two boys aged eight months and nine years, were buried when a church bell tower toppled into their house in nearby Accumoli. Local magistrates opened an investigation into whether there had been any negligence over the recently restored tower.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's cabinet was meeting on Thursday to decide emergency measures to help the affected communities.

"Today is a day for tears, tomorrow we can talk of reconstruction," he told reporters late on Wednesday.

The death toll appeared likely to rival or even surpass that from the last major earthquake to strike Italy, which killed more than 300 people in the central city of L'Aquila in 2009.

While hopes of finding more people alive diminished by the hour, firefighters' spokesman Luca Cari recalled that survivors were found in L'Aquila up to 72 hours after that quake.

Most of the damage was in the Lazio and Marche regions, with Lazio bearing the brunt of the devastation and the biggest toll. Neighbouring Umbria was also affected. All three regions are dotted with centuries-old buildings susceptible to earthquakes.

Italy sits on two fault lines, making it one of the most seismically active countries in Europe.

The country's most deadly earthquake since the start of the 20th century came in 1908, when an earthquake followed by a tsunami killed an estimated 80,000 people in the southern regions of Reggio Calabria and Sicily.
The search continues for survivors in central Italy with the death toll now 241. An aftershock of 4.7 MMS hits further east in the province near Norcia.