The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Pope to visit quake-hit area
Francis leads prayers as at least 291 dead and no hope for survivors
Pope Francis has said he plans to visit an area in Italy struck by a deadly earthquake to bring the people there the “comfort of faith”.
Francis led prayers yesterday for the inhabitants of an area struck by Wednesday’s powerful earthquake that killed at least 291 people in Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto.
Italy’s central Apennine mountains are a seismicallyregion that has suffered other earthquake tragedies in the past.
Meanwhile, bulldozers have continued the clearup operation as investigators try to figure out if negligence in enforcing building codes added to the death toll.
Italy’s state museums have embarked on a fundraising campaign, donating their proceeds on Sunday to relief and reconstruction efforts in the earthquake zone.
The early hours of yesterday were relatively calm, the first since the quake struck without strong aftershocks – of which there have been 1,820 recorded.
On Saturday, mourners prayed, hugged, wept and even applauded as coffins carrying victims passed by at a state funeral in the town of Ascoli Piceno.
The caskets of 35 people had been brought to acommunity gym – one of the few structures in the area still intact.
Nobody has been found alive in the ruins since Wednesday andhopeshave vanished of finding any more survivors.
The number still missing is uncertain due to the many visitors seeking a last taste of summer in the Apennine mountains.