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Death toll in Italy earthquake rises to 275

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-09 16:43

L'AQUILA, Italy – Rescuers removed three more bodies from a collapsed university dormitory in central Italy early Thursday, raising to 275 the death toll in the country's worst earthquake in three decades.

The last body was pulled out of the four-story structure in the city of L'Aquila just after dawn, and family members maintained their vigil up until the end, said rescue coordinator Antonio Panaro.

The coffin of 24-year-old Giuseppe Chiavaroli, one of the earthquake victims, is carried outside the S. Maria in Piano church after his funeral in Loreto Aprutino, 130km (81 miles) north of Aquila April 8, 2009. [Agencies]

At least seven students, including an Israeli, died in the dormitory, which became a focal point of grief in this devastated city.

Signaling the end of the operation, huge excavators moved in and began dismantling the dorm.

Related readings:  Quake funerals begin in Italy as more bodies found  Italy rocked by strong aftershocks  Quake-prone Italy lags in quake-proofing buildings

"No one else is missing. There are no parents left waiting, but of course we will carefully verify that there isn't anyone else," Panaro.

But elsewhere in the city and the stricken region, search operations continued for as many as 10 people still missing.

Strong aftershocks overnight rattled residents — nearly 18,000 of whom are living in tent camps around the stricken region. An additional 10,000 have been put up in seaside hotels, out of the quake zone.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano arrived Thursday to see the damage in L'Aquila.

Officials have urged residents not to sleep in their homes — but some could not resist at least looking from outside to see if they could assess the damage.

Anti-looting patrols have increased in the quake zone and some residents stayed in cars near their homes to keep watch all the same. Premier Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday said stiffer anti-looting measures would be introduced amid reports that the problem was on the rise.

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