Pope Francis said Sunday he wanted to visit some of the central Italian villages devastated in this week’s earthquake, as survivors and rescue workers dug in for the long haul with winter approaching.
Francis said the Catholic Church shared the “suffering” of the victims of the quake that claimed nearly 300 lives and pledged:
“As soon as possible, I hope to come and see you.”
The Pope told thousands of worshipers gathered for the Angelus prayer in Rome’s Saint Peter’s square he had a “spiritual closeness” to residents of the mountain villages in a remote area straddling the Umbria, Marche and Lazio regions.
Meanwhile,the government has pledged to support immediate reconstruction and Chiappini said he hoped authorities would send pre-fabricated housing to stave off the frost that will soon descend on the mountainous region.
The Italian government has freed up around 60 million euros ($67 million) in immediate aid, added to which will be approximately 10 million euros in donations.
According to Italian media, the government is poised to appoint a special commissioner to oversee the huge reconstruction operation, which is being hampered by aftershocks — more than 1,800 since the earthquake struck on Wednesday.
With the immediate grief fading, the focus was switching to how such damage could have been wrought in an area so close (50 kilometres, 32 miles) to L’Aquila, which was hit by a 2009 earthquake in which more than 300 people perished.
Prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva has indicated that property owners who commissioned suspected sub-standard work could be held responsible for contributing to the quake’s deadly impact.
Some of the survivors in the camps of blue tents accommodating those who have lost their homes said that on top of everything else, they had to battle against boredom.
Another survivor, Atemio Scienzo, warned that endemic corruption in Italy could stymie reconstruction efforts.
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