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Mass funeral for Italy quake dead

by Red Brick | 3 years, 1 month(s) ago

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Red Brick

Thousands of people have attended a state funeral for 205 people who died in the Abruzzo earthquake, as Italy holds a day of mourning. Victims' families and top politicians were among mourners at the funeral near the damaged city of L'Aquila. Correspondents say the funeral was an incredibly sad and moving occasion, for many the first chance to come together as a community since the earthquake. Pope Benedict XVI urged quake survivors to be courageous and hopeful. "In these dramatic hours when a fearful tragedy has blighted this land, I feel spiritually present, amongst all of you, and I want to share your anguish and I want to implore God to grant eternal rest to the victims," he said in an address read out at the start of the service by his personal secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein. But rescue workers believe the chances of finding anyone alive are remote and so will focus on recovering bodies and assessing the extent of the damage. Aftershocks are continuing to hamper rescue efforts. On Thursday evening a tremor measuring 4.9, the fourth-largest since the earthquake, brought down a badly damaged four-storey building in the centre of L'Aquila. The death toll was raised to 289 on Friday morning. Christian message The earthquake victims were honoured in an open-air service at a police training base outside L'Aquila. The Vatican granted a special dispensation for the service. Good Friday, marking Jesus Christ's crucifixion, is the only day of the year on which Catholics do not celebrate Mass. Dozens of coffins bedecked with flowers lay in four rows at the funeral site, attended by grieving relatives.
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