Photo taken on Aug. 26, 2016 shows a building destroyed in earthquake in the town of Amatrice, Italy. At least 250 people died, and thousands were displaced in Italy, after a major earthquake that struck the central Lazio and Marche regions on early Wednesday, the authorities confirmed on Thursday. (Xinhua/Ge Chen)
ROME, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that hit central Italy Wednesday morning has risen to 290, said the Civil Protection agency on Saturday.
Six more bodies were recovered from the rubble of Amatrice, increasing the death toll in the worst-hit town to 230, while the number of victims in Accumoli and Arquato del Tronto remained 11 and 49 respectively.
Overnight, the area was rattled again by a series of aftershocks. The strongest, at 4.50 a.m. (0250 GMT), had a magnitude of 4.0, according to the Italian geophysics institute.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Saturday attended the mass funeral for the 35 victims in Ascoli Piceno, the capital of the Marche region.
Dozens of caskets were lined up in a cavernous gymnasium in Ascoli Piceno. People bid farewell to loved ones, kneeling, crying and placing their hands on flower-covered caskets.
Mattarella, during his visit to Amatrice, met and thanked rescue workers who have been working since early Wednesday to save people trapped in rubble and recover the dead, reported State TV Rai.
Italy has declared Aug. 27 a national day of mourning and flags in public places are flown at half-mast to commemorate the lives lost.
Funerals for the victims of Amatrice and Accumoli will be held on Aug. 30, according to Rai.
Related:
Backgrounder: Major earthquakes in Italy since 1900
ROME, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A 6.0-magnitude temblor on Wednesday hit central Italy at 3:36 a.m. local time (0136 GMT), with strong tremors felt in as far as Naples in Southern Italy. The disaster has killed at least 290 people so far.
Italy's National Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (INGV) said the quake was 6.0 magnitude, while the U.S. Geological Survey put the quake at 6.2 magnitude. Full story
Spotlight: Death toll in central Italy's quake climbs to 281
ROME, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 281 people were killed in the devastating earthquake that hit the central regions of Italy in the early hours of Wednesday, according to ANSA on late Friday.
Some 221 people died in Amatrice and 11 in Accumoli, two towns in Rieti province that were the closest to the epicenter. The other 49 victims were registered between Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto in Ascoli Piceno province. Full story
China rescue team rushes to Italy for earthquake relief
HANGZHOU, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A civil rescue team from China arrived at the quake-affected areas in Italy Thursday evening and has started rescue work there, official sources here said.
The Rescue Team of Ram Union, from east China's Zhejiang Province sent three people to join quick relief in Italy, the provincial civil affairs department said. Full story
