Italy quake death toll nears 250

AMATRICE, ITALY: The death toll from a devastating earthquake in central Italy rose to at least 247 people early on Thursday after rescue teams worked through the night to try to find survivors under the rubble of flattened towns.

The 6.2 magnitude quake struck a cluster of mountain communities 140 km (85 miles) east of Rome early on Wednesday as people slept, destroying hundreds of homes.

The provisional death toll has jumped to 247, from the 159 listed on Wednesday night, the Civil Protection department said. Officials said they expected the figure to rise further as the search operation continued. Trucks full of rubble left the area every few minutes, including one in which a dusty doll could be seen lying on top of tonnes of debris.

Hundreds of aftershocks have shaken the area since the earthquake. On Thursday, the sun rose on frightened people who had slept in cars or tents, the earth continuing to tremble under their feet. Two aftershocks registered 5.1 and 5.4 just before dawn.

"I haven't slept much because I was really afraid," said 70-year-old Arturo Onesi from the town of Arquata del Tronto, who spent the night in a tent camp for survivors and rescue workers.

The earthquake was powerful enough to be felt in Bologna to the north and Naples to the south, both more than 220 km (135 miles) from the epicenter.

The populations of the four worst-hit towns - Amatrice, Pescara del Tronto, Arquata del Tronto and Accumoli - increase by up to tenfold in the summer, and many of those killed or missing were visitors. Aerial video taken by drones showed swathes of Amatrice, last year voted one of Italy's most beautiful historic towns, completely flattened.

A hotel that collapsed in Amatrice, the Hotel Roma, probably had about 70 guests and only seven bodies have been recovered so far. The owner of the hotel said as many as 30 guests may have been able to escape before the building came down.