ACCUMOLIThe death toll from a powerful earthquake in central Italy climbed to at least 247 on Thursday, the country's civil protection agency said. The toll had stood at 159 overnight after the quake struck before dawn on Wednesday, devastating several mountain villages. With 368 people injured, some critically, and an unknown number trapped under rubble, the death toll from Wednesday's pre-dawn quake was expected to rise further, officials warned. "This is not a final toll," he warned after visiting the badly hit village of Amatrice. The devastated area is just north of L'Aquila, the city where some 300 people died in another quake in 2009.

Source: Daily Nation August 25, 2016 03:05 UTC