Italy quake death toll rises to 267

Aiders work on August 24, 2016 after a strong earthquake hit Amatrice. A powerful pre-dawn earthquake devastated mountain villages in central Italy, leaving at least 73 people dead, dozens more injured or trapped under the rubble and thousands temporarily homeless. Scores of buildings were reduced to dusty piles of masonry in communities close to the epicentre of the pre-dawn quake, which had a magnitude of between 6.0 and 6.2, according to monitors. / AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE

The death toll from a powerful earthquake in central Italy rose to 267 Friday with 367 people hospitalised with injuries, the Civil Protection agency said.

Immacolata Postiglione, head of the agency’s emergency unit, indicated there had been no survivors found overnight as rescuers sifted through rubble for a third day.

The government has declared a state of emergency for the regions affected by Wednesday’s quake with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi releasing an initial tranche of 50 million euros ($56 million) for emergency aid.

Renzi also announced a new earthquake prevention plan as questions mounted over why so many people had died just seven years after the nearby city of L’Aquila was devastated by a quake that killed 300 people.

AFP

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