Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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Strong Aftershocks Rock Central Italy

by VOA News

   Already suffering from the earthquake that shook the area Wednesday,
   two strong aftershock hit the town of Amatrice in central Italy Friday.

   The aftershocks, one registering magnitude 4.3 and the other 4.7 caused
   more damage to buildings and sent up plumes of smoke, instilling panic
   in the town.

   Since the original earthquake hit Amatrice early Wednesday morning, the
   city has seen more than 500 additional aftershocks, most of which were
   relatively mild.

   Meanwhile, civil protection officials have revised the death toll from
   Wednesday's 6.2-magnitude earthquake to 267, mainly in the hardest hit
   towns of Amatrice, Arqueta and Accumoli, which are largely ruined.
   Several hundred people received treatment for injuries.

   Of those killed, at least eight were foreigners travelling in Italy.
   Three of the foreign victims came from Britain, two from Romania, and
   one each from Spain, Canada and El Salvador.

   Authorities said they expected to confirm more deaths as the search
   operation continues. So far, more than 200 people have been pulled
   alive from mounds of rubble. Rescue crews aided by sniffer dogs have
   been digging through crumbled homes looking for more survivors.

   Dust is seen coming out from falling rubble following an aftershock in
   Amatrice, central Italy, Aug. 25, 2016.

   The civil protection agency said that of the 5,400 people working under
   its command in the devastating zone, including police, soldiers and
   firemen, more than half were volunteers.

   Italian National Institute of Geophysical and Volcanology has
   registered hundreds of aftershocks and said it is closely monitoring
   the highly seismic area along the Apennine mountain range

   Allied countries, such as Germany, France and Israel all offered to
   send teams to support the disaster relief, but the Italian government
   has politely declined, saying its hugely experienced emergency service
   and army of unpaid workers did not need any support.

   The World Trade Center in New York responded to the tragedy Thursday
   night by lighting its 124-meter spire in the green, white and red
   colors of the Italian flag.

   The interior of an house is seen in Amatrice, following an earthquake,
   central Italy, Aug. 25, 2016.

   Italy's Culture Ministry has decreed that proceeds from public museums
   across Italy this coming Sunday will be used to help restore damaged
   buildings in the affected areas.

   Several churches and other medieval-era buildings were damaged or
   destroyed in Wednesday's quake.

   In a statement Thursday, Culture Minister Dario Franceschini urged
   Italians to visit museums and Italy's numerous archaeological sites
   Sunday "in a concrete sign of solidarity" with quake victims.