Italian firefighters have extracted the third and final brother from the rubble of their home that collapsed in a 4.0-magnitude quake on the resort island of Ischia.
Firefighters dug with their bare hands to free Ciro, the eldest of the three boys, about two hours after they freed his younger brother, Mattias, and eight hours after they removed 7-month-old brother Pasquale. Firefighters announced the final success with a tweet: “Even Ciro is saved!” TV cameras recorded cheers going up.
Authorities haven’t confirmed the ages of Ciro and Mattias. The children’s father was rescued earlier, while the mother escaped through a window.
At least two people were killed in the quake that hit Monday night during the height of the tourist season, also injuring 39 and leaving homeless 2,600 residents.
___
12:40 p.m.
Authorities say they have located a second person who was killed in the 4.0-magnitude quake on the resort island of Ischia.
Bruno Frattasi, the head of Italy’s firefighters, told reporters Tuesday that the victim, who appeared to be a woman, had not yet been extracted from under the rubble.
Another woman died when a church collapsed during the quake Monday evening, and 39 were injured, most lightly.
Rescuers have pulled two children — a 7-month-old baby and his older brother — out of the rubble of their home hours after the quake, and were working to pull out a third brother with whom they have had contact. The children’s mother, who is pregnant, managed to escape through a window, while the father was rescued earlier.
___
11:50 a.m.
The European Union’s humanitarian aid chief is offering condolences to those hit by the earthquake in Italy and says the 28-nation bloc will provide any support needed.
Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides said Tuesday that “the EU is fully ready to help” and that “we stand ready to provide any immediate assistance the national authorities could require.”
That includes use of the EU’s emergency satellite mapping system.
Stylianides also commended “the brave first responders working tirelessly on the scene to save lives. They are an example for us all.”
The 4.0-magnitude quake, which struck late Monday, killed at least one person on the resort island of Ischia.
___
11:10 a.m.
Italian media is reporting that a second child has been pulled from the rubble on the Italian resort island of Ischia some 14 hours after a 4.0-magnitude quake toppled buildings and killed at least one person.
Firefighters earlier freed the boy’s 7-month-old brother, who appeared alert on firefighter video as he was passed to safety, and are continuing work to free a third brother.
Firefighter spokesman Luca Cari described the work to free the boys as complicated. He said rescuers were maintaining voice contact throughout with the children.
The father told RAI state television that the boys were in their bedroom when the quake struck, while he and his wife were elsewhere in the house. She managed to escape through a window while rescuers got first to the father.
___
9:20 a.m.
Firefighters in Italy have freed a 7-month-old baby from the rubble of a house where he had been trapped with his family following a 4.0-magnitude quake on the Italian resort island of Ischia.
At least one person — an elderly woman who was inside a collapsed church — was killed in the quake just before 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) Monday. Another 39 were injured.
Firefighters pulled the baby from the rubble some seven hours after the quake, and are continuing work on rescuing his two brothers.
Sky TG24 said that the two boys were given bottles of water early Tuesday and were responding to rescuers.
