Brief moment of joy in quake devastation

08/04/09 20:15 CET

world news

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With the spectre of death all around, there are few light moments in the earthquake-devastated mountainous Abruzzo region of Italy.

But one 98-year-old woman brought some laughter to the rescue workers who brought her down to safety from her home. She had been trapped there for more than two days. Asked what she did in that time, she quipped: “I worked at my knitting.” Emergency crews are shifting their operations away from rescue to salvage and clearance. An 8,500 strong team will be working through the rubble this Easter weekend, putting their lives on the line as aftershocks continue to shake the region. Onna, at the epicentre of the quake, bears testament to the powerful destruction of the disaster. Most of the village was flattened. The overall damage to the whole region has been estimated at two to three billion euros.More about: Earthquake, Italy

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