AMATRICE, Italy — Strong aftershocks rattled central Italy and shut down a key route into the hard-hit town of Amatrice on Friday as hopes dimmed that firefighters would find any more survivors from the earthquake that killed at least 267 people. Some crumbled buildings in Amatrice cracked even further after the biggest aftershock of the morning struck at 6:28 a.m. The U.S. Geological Service said it had a magnitude of 4.7, while the Italian geophysics institute measured it at 4.8. Premier Matteo Renzi has declared a state of emergency and authorized 50 million euros for immediate quake relief. Rescue workers have noted that a person was pulled out alive 72 hours (three days) after the 2009 earthquake in the Italian town of L’Aquila.

Source: National Post August 26, 2016 17:03 UTC