Amatrice, a historic town of about 2,000 people, is one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake. The town is in ruins, with only a few buildings left standing.

Amatrice was last year voted one of Italy’s most beautiful historic towns. Now it lies in ruins. The mayor says half of the town is gone. Since the quake hit in the middle of the night, rescue workers and volunteers have been searching for survivors.

Rescuers work following an earthquake in Pescara del Tronto, central Italy, August 24, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

“We are only trying to help to pull out as many people as possible from the rubble. Unfortunately, 90 percent we pull out are dead, but some make it, that’s why we are here,” said Christian Bianchetti, volunteer.

Rescuers walk past the bell tower with the clock showing the time of the earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi visited Amatrice on Wednesday afternoon and met with rescue workers. Earlier in Rome he pledged support for the worst hit areas.

“In the moments of difficulty, Italy knows what to do. In the moments in which things do not go right, all of Italy, all of it, shows their best side,” Renzi said.

“The government is committed to not leaving anyone, no family, no community, no neighborhood alone and let’s get to work as in the next hours we can continue to pull survivors out of the rubble and we can return hope to that territory which has been so brutally hit.”

There were moments of relief when survivors were found. In nearby Accumoli, close to the epicenter of the quake, a 65-year-old man was pulled out of the debris of his home after spending nearly nine hours buried beneath the rubble.  

But as the hours go by, the chances of finding more survivors gets smaller. And with many people still believed to be missing, the death toll is expected to rise.