Earthquake death toll in Italy rises to 250

by mudricky | April 7, 2009 at 11:13 pm

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Sad news as Italy wakes up, officials report that the death toll has now peaked to 250.

1,000 people remain hurt, about 100 seriously, and around 50 are still missing.

The first funeral of a victim will take place today in the town of Loreto Aprutino, led by the archbishop of Pescara.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said the operation would continue for a further 48 hours and involve 7,000 rescuers.

Rescuers said they needed to get results quickly to prevent further problems for those affected.

"We're a bit tired," Fabrizio Curcio, director of the civil protection emergency bureau told AFP news agency.

"But frankly, fatigue is not a major concern... We're running on adrenaline. There's still a long road ahead of us."

More than 200 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured. One-hundred-and-fifty people have been pulled alive from the rubble.