Earthquake rescue continues in Italy

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Source: CCTV.com | 04-08-2009 19:21

Italy's clean-up operation continued on Wednesday, after the country's worst earthquake in three decades. The Civil Protection Department has now put the death toll to 251.

Firefighters carried out a body from the rubble of a  collapsed building, in L'Aquila. Entire blocks were  flattened in the mountain city and nearby villages.  Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, said Tuesday that rescue efforts would continue for another 48 hours and that there was still hope of finding people alive  under fallen masonry and walls.(AP photo)

Rescue efforts continued throughout the night but no more survivors were found.

Rescuers brought in huge cranes, after giving up removing debris by hand.

This woman was the last survivor found alive over 40 hours after the 6.3 quake struck in L'Aquila in central Italy early Monday morning.

Strong aftershocks during the night and the early hours of Wednesday morning caused a fresh wave of fear among the local residents.

Thousands of survivors are taking shelter in camps.

The Civil Protection Department said 11 of the victims were still to be identified and 15 people were still missing.

Officials said some 10 to 15, 000 buildings were either damaged or destroyed in L'Aquila.

Teams planned to begin surveying those buildings still standing on Wednesday, to see if residents could move back in.

Experts say the vast majority of buildings in the most vulnerable regions of earthquake-prone Italy don't meet modern seismic safety standards.

This was Italy's deadliest since November 1980, when a 6.9-magnitude quake hit southern regions, killing about 3,000.

Editor:Yang Jie