The death toll in the
Italian earthquake has risen to at least 247 as thousands of rescuers continue
efforts to find survivors.
BBC
News report continues:
Dozens
are believed trapped in ruined Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto, in
mountainous central Italy.
The
search went on through the night, and there was a strong aftershock which
rocked already damaged buildings.
More
than 4,300 rescuers are using heavy lifting equipment and their bare hands.
Many
of the victims were children, the health minister said, and there were warnings
the toll could rise further.
The
6.2-magnitude quake hit at 03:36 (01:36 GMT) on Wednesday 100km (65 miles)
north-east of Rome.
The
latest death toll was given on Thursday morning - 190 deaths in Rieti province
and 57 in neighbouring Ascoli Piceno province.
Rescuers
said they had pulled five bodies from the ruins of the Hotel Roma in the
historic town of Amatrice. Officials said about 35 people had been staying at
the hotel and most had managed to get out. About 10 people were still
unaccounted for, a local fire official said.
Late
on Wednesday there were cheers in the village of Pescara del Tronto when a
young girl was pulled alive from the rubble after being trapped for 17 hours.
Almost all the houses there had collapsed, the mayor said.
The
quake struck small towns and villages in the mountainous area where the regions
of Umbria, Lazio and Le Marche meet.
People
there spent the night outside or in tents provided by the emergency services.
Among
the victims was an 18-month-old toddler, Marisol Piermarini, whose mother
Martina Turco survived the deadly 2009 earthquake in
L'Aquila and moved away from there after the experience, Italian news
agency Ansa reported.
Ms Turco was being treated in hospital after being pulled from the rubble in the village of Arquata del Tronto, Ansa said.
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