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BRITS KILLED IN 'APOCALYPTIC DISASTER'

Three Britons, including 14-year-old boy among, the dead as Italy is rocked by NEW 4.8 quake

Teen's seriously injured parents learnt of the news after being reunited at hospital

THREE Brits, including a 14-year-old boy, were among those killed in the catastrophic earthquake that rocked central Italy yesterday - as the country was rocked by a new 4.8 quake today.

It is understood the that one of the three was a teenager from London who was on holiday with his parents and sister and was staying in an apartment in Amatrice when he died.

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A 14-year-old British boy is among those killed by the earthquake in Italy yesterdayCredit: AP
Amatrice earthquake
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Both of his parents were injured and are being treated in hospitalCredit: AP
Amatrice earthquake
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 His sister escaped injury and is being looked after by relativesCredit: Splash News

 

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Italian rescue teams said that 90 per cent of those they were now recovering from the buildings were deadCredit: AP:Associated Press
6.2 magnitude earthquake hits central Italy
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Many of the survivors have been forced to spend their first night homeless at makeshift camps and sheltersCredit: ANSA
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The death toll has now risen to nearly 247, with authorities predicting the number could rise significantlyCredit: AP:Associated Press
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The quake struck in the middle of several small villages in the mountainous area of central Italy. Accumoli and Amatrice were the settlements most badly affected

His mum and dad were among those seriously injured in the terrifying 6.2 magnitude quake that killed at least 267 people and were both taken to hospital by separate rescue teams.

Relatives of the British family, who have not been identified, flew into comfort them, , the reports.

It has emerged that rescue workers took the mum, who was suffering from fractured facial bones, to Rieti Hospital while her husband, who had a broken leg, was taken to a hospital in the city of L’Aquila 40 miles away.

Their daughter survived and did not need hospital treatment. A source told the newspaper the girl was being looked after by other relatives while her parents remain in hospital.

A local official said three Britons had been killed in the disaster, although that has yet to be confirmed by the British Foreign Office, according to the

Italian rescuers are battling to save survivors of yesterday's earthquake - but are running out of body bags as the victim count continues to rise.

Locals in central Italy's mountainous regions faced their first night out in the open after several villages were all but destroyed.

At least 247 have been killed with many hundreds more injured - and authorities confirmed they are struggling to deal with the numbers of dead.

Rushing to a building where the body of an elderly woman was discovered, one paramedic told : "She’s dead but there are no more body bags so we just have to wait.”

Italian authorities have even been forced to send in specialist anti-looting teams to combat thieves.

Local media has reported a number of cases of criminals plundering the homes left destroyed by the "apocalyptic" 6.2 magnitude quake.

The villages of Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto are among the most badly damaged.

At least 190 of the victims hailed from the tiny rural villages.
Thousands were forced to spend the night in makeshift emergency centres and camps overnight.

They faced the terrifying prospect of aftershocks last night - some of which were so strong they were felt 100 miles away in Rome.

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Teams had worked overnight. One ten-year-old girl was pulled alive from the rubble after spending 17 hours trapped upside downCredit: ANSA
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One of the worst-hit towns was the picturesque village of AmatriceCredit: Fame Flynet
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More than 4,000 rescuers are believed to be working to free survivors, with some using their bare hands to move rubbleCredit: AP:Associated Press
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One distressed rescuer holds a dog that has been taking part in the rescue effortCredit: Getty Images

Amatrice resident Monica told the : "We are sleeping in the car and there were shocks all night. When the biggest one came, the car started moving and shaking."

Rescuers are particularly fearful about the fate of up to 70 guests who were staying at the village's Hotel Roma.

The town's belltower remains one of the few still standing - its clock stopped at 3.37am when the tremor struck.

Five bodies have already been pulled from the ruins following a natural disaster witnesses compared to Dante's Inferno.

But authorities are concerned that dozens more remain trapped or dead under the debris.

Buildings in the hamlet of Pescara del Tronto were reduced to rubble following the quake
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Buildings in the hamlet of Pescara del Tronto were reduced to rubble in the quakeCredit: Getty Images
Many saw their homes completely destroyed or badly damaged, forcing hundreds to seek shelter elsewhere
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Many saw their homes completely destroyed or badly damaged, forcing hundreds to seek shelter elsewhereCredit: Getty Images
A car lies battered by falling masonry in the tiny hamlet. It is not known if anyone was in the vehicle at the time
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A car lies battered by falling masonry in the tiny hamlet. It is not known if anyone was in the vehicle at the timeCredit: Getty Images
Those lucky enough to escape the terrifying quake without injury still face having their livelihoods ruined with dozens of homes destroyed
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Those lucky enough to escape the terrifying quake without injury still face having their livelihoods ruined with dozens of homes destroyedCredit: Getty Images

More than 4,000 rescuers were lifting rubble to try and free those trapped in the disaster area, covering the regions of Rieti and Ascoli Piceno.

Most are using their bare hands to claw away concrete and stone, while heavy machinery has also been moved to the scene.

One glimmer of hope amid the tragedy was offered last night when a ten-year-old girl was pulled from a collapsed building after spending 17 hours trapped upside down.

Rescuers ran up the road shouting “She’s alive” after the youngster was found in one of the three towns most devastated by the quake which flattened homes and buckled roads.

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In some areas heavy machinery has been brought in to clear some of the debrisCredit: Getty Images
People rest following an earthquake in Amatrice
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Many survivors were left with only the clothes on their back after buildings collapsed in the central Italian regionsCredit: Reuters
A man walks along a makeshift camp in Arquata
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Others have been forced to camp out in the open at one of several makeshift sitesCredit: Reuters
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 The devastation of the earthquake is made clear from the sky with dozens of buildings completely destroyedCredit: ANSA / GUARDIA DI FINANZA PRESS
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Much of the destruction was magnified by the fact many buildings in the region are hundreds of years oldCredit: Splash News

But hopes are fading fast of finding more survivors.

One rescuer told the : "Unfortunately, 90 per cent we pull out are dead, but some make it, that's why we are here.'

Among the first victims named was 18-month-old baby Marisol Piermarini, who was killed as she slept in her cot.

She was on holiday in the town with her parents. Both are severely injured.

Grandfather Massimo Piermarini, who tried to save the family, said: “They did not want me to go in because it was all in danger, but I said that I did not care at all.

"I had to go looking for them, but unfortunately for the girl there was nothing to do.”


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