Toll Rises to 112, More Than 200 Still Feared Buried in Southern Italy
May 10, 1998 - 0:0
SARNO, Italy Rescue workers Saturday resumed digging with backhoes and bulldozers, after using the quiet of the night listening in vain for noises from any survivors buried under rivers of mud that claimed at least 112 lives. Civil defense officials in Sarno, the hardest hit town, said more than 200 people were likely still buried. Four days after the mudslides, it was considered highly unlikely there would be many survivors, although a 22-year-old man was found alive on Friday evening at the bottom of a well here.
``Unfortunately, the number feared missing continues to rise,'' said Piero Moscardini, coordinator of relief efforts in Sarno. ``It has gone up from 210 to 230 to 240. It is impossible to come up with an exact figure.'' During the night, some of the 3,000 rescue workers continued digging in the dark with shovels and using their hands. Others listened for faint noises, voices, scratching or banging, in the hope of finding more survivors.
(AP)
``Unfortunately, the number feared missing continues to rise,'' said Piero Moscardini, coordinator of relief efforts in Sarno. ``It has gone up from 210 to 230 to 240. It is impossible to come up with an exact figure.'' During the night, some of the 3,000 rescue workers continued digging in the dark with shovels and using their hands. Others listened for faint noises, voices, scratching or banging, in the hope of finding more survivors.
(AP)