The death toll in the Italian earthquake has risen to at least 247 as thousands of rescuers continue efforts to find survivors. Dozens are believed to be trapped in ruined areas in mountainous central Italy. More than 4,300 rescuers are using heavy lifting equipment and their bare hands to save as many lives as possible. More than 1,000 people have been displaced by the quake, and the Civil Protection agency said. The nearby villages of Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto, wiped out by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck central Italy early Wednesday, killing at least 160 people, including children, trapping scores more under debris, leaving thousands homeless and setting off tremors that were felt from Bologna to Naples.

A 2009, 6.3 magnitude quake hit the Aquia region, about 90 kilometres south of this week’s event, in 2009. More than 300 were people were killed. Italy’s deadliest earthquake since the turn of the 20th century was in 1908, when 80,000 people were killed in the southern regions of Reggio Calabria and Sicily by an earthquake followed by a devastating tsunami. This week, the town was getting ready for the 50th annual festival dedicated to the celebrated sauce. Luckily, most visitors had left for the night. The 6.2-magnitude quake hit at 03:36 (01:36 GMT) on Wednesday 100km (65 miles) north-east of Rome.