Aftershocks rock Italy as hopes fade for more earthquake survivors

STRONG aftershocks have hit central Italy as the death toll from its devastating earthquake rose to 267 today, including a teenager from London.

Hopes of finding any more survivors were fading as the biggest aftershock hit at 6.28am, with a magnitude of 4.8. It was preceded by more than a dozen weaker ones overnight and was then followed by another nine in the subsequent hour —- some of the nearly 1,000 aftershocks that have hit the seismic area of Italy’s central Apennine moun- tains in the last two days. About 5,000 re s c u e worke r s a re still c o mbing through rubble for survivors using heavy machinery or bare hands.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said additional consular staff had been deployed to the region to provide support for Britons caught up in the quake. He added: “My deepest sympathies are with the Italian people and everyone affected by the terrible earthquake that struck central Italy.

“The British government has offered any assistance that we can to help with the recovery effort and I have spoken with Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni to express my condolences personally.”

The 6.2-magnitude quake hit in the early hours on Wednesday 65 miles north-east of Rome.

At least three Britons are understood to have been killed. One of them, a 14year-old boy, was visiting Italy with his family who were st aying with the owners of a house in the village of S o mma t i , just over a mi l e from Amatrice, one of the worst-hit areas.

The British owners are also believed to have been killed, but their t wo children appear to have survived. The boy’s parents were injured but his sister survived relatively unhurt.

Loc al hospit al direc tor Pasquale Carducci said the teenager’s mother had facial fractures and his father had a broken leg. They were at first taken to different hospitals but were then reunited. Their daughter i s being looked after by other relatives.

Italian news reports said the first funerals were due to be held on Friday, while the government authorised £43 million in emergency funding and cancelled taxes in the region.