No Maltese citizens are reported injured in the earthquake that hit central Italy on Monday, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Ministry is in constant contact with the Maltese embassy in Rome to give assistance to the Maltese living in the region and has contacted several Maltese living in l’Aquila near Rome, the area struck by the earthquake which has already killed 179 people including several children.

The Ministry said a Maltese nun living there will soon return to Malta after losing her home and her belongings while a Maltese woman married to an Italian said that she is well but is living in her car.

The Foreign Ministry thanked all those who had phoned on 21242191 to give it contact details on Maltese who are in the area hit by the earthquake.

Meanwhile, the BBC reports that Italian rescuers are continuing to search for survivors under buildings wrecked by the devastating earthquake. The report says that with 1,500 injured and some 17,000 homeless after Monday’s quake struck L’Aquila and its region, many survivors spent the night in shelters.

Emergency crews were hampered by after-shocks and rain, but have reportedly pulled 100 people alive from rubble. Authorities put the number of people still missing at 34, the BBC says. Rescuers were forced to briefly postpone their efforts as the after-shocks dislodged more rubble from buildings.

    Netvibes ShareFacebookTwitterDiggStumbleUponDeliciousBlogger PostYahoo MailAOL MailHotmailGmailGoogle BookmarksMySpaceShare/Bookmark

Related Articles: