Italy quake survivors to face grim Easter

Survivors of Italy's devastating earthquake, yesterday began salvaging what they could from their abandoned homes on a mournful Easter weekend as the death toll from the disaster rose to 291. "I need to get some clothes. I have nothing," said Beniamino Marsili, clad in a grey tracksuit, as nerves frayed during the long wait in the sun for police escorts to the devastated old town of L'Aquila, capital of the central Abruzzo region.

Engineers meanwhile began assessing the damage to the estimated 10,000 buildings hit by Monday's earthquake, and the European Commission said construction experts would be sent to the region early next week.