Italy quake death toll nears 250, rescue work intensifies

By Steve Scherer and Gabriele Pileri | AMATRICE, Italy

The death toll from a devastating earthquake in central Italy climbed to 250 on Thursday as rescue teams scoured mounds of rubble for a second day in towns and villages flattened by the natural disaster.
The 6.2 magnitude quake struck a cluster of mountain communities 140 km (85 miles) east of Rome early on Wednesday as people slept, destroying hundreds of homes.

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

"People like myself have lost everything, but at the same time the fact that we have survived means we have to move forward one minute at a time," said Alessandra Cioni, 45, who managed to crawl out of her crumpled house after the quake.

"We have been saved, not like half the people in this place who have lost their lives," she said, breaking down in tears.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi promised to rebuild the shattered houses and said he would renew efforts to bolster Italy's flimsy defenses against earthquakes that regularly batter the country.

"We want those communities to have the chance of a future and not just memories," he told reporters in Rome.

A violent aftershock on Thursday afternoon sent rescuers fleeing as stones fell from the already 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 the emergency services were working under blue skies and a hot summer sun.

Dust is seen coming out from falling rubble following an aftershock in Amatrice, central Italy, August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca

Almost 200 of the victims died in Amatrice, which is famed for a local pasta dish and was full of holidaymakers ahead of its 50th annual food festival, set for this weekend.
It was unclear how many visitors were in the area on Wednesday, making it hard to track the number of deaths.

"We need to know firstly the exact number of people who are missing before we can say what work is waiting for us," said fire department spokesperson Luca Cari.

"We will obviously move forward without interruption until we are sure there is no one left."

Five Romanians, one Spaniard, one Canadian and a number of other foreigners, some of them care-givers for the elderly, were believed to be among the dead, officials said.

NEGLIGENCE

Aerial video taken by drones showed swathes of Amatrice, last year voted one of Italy's most beautiful historic towns, completely flattened.

The nearby towns of Pescara del Tronto, Arquata del Tronto and Accumoli fared little better, leaving thousands of people homeless. The Civil Protection Department has sent up tents for survivors, which risk being their homes for many weeks.

Italy has a poor record of rebuilding after quakes. About 8,300 people who were forced to leave their houses after a deadly earthquake in L'Aquila in 2009 are still living in temporary accommodation.