ROME (Sputnik) – The earthquake struck the mountainous regions of Umbria, Lazio and Marche in the early hours of Wednesday, causing extensive damage and scores of aftershocks.
“At the moment, the death toll in the earthquake is not 247, but 241,” spokeswoman Immacolata Postiglione said.
Italian media say up to 215 people have been dug up from the rubble alive.
The death toll from the devastating earthquake in central Italy may rise and reach the figures of 2009 L'Aquila earthquakethat killed at least 300 people, Civil Protection service chief Fabrizio Curcio said Thursday.
"The death toll numbers are not final and may rise. We are close to the L'Aquila figures," Curcio said, as quoted by the il Velino news outlet.
