Reports by the BBC state the death toll in the Italian quake has now surpassed 240.
They further describe how rescuers continue the efforts to find survivors as dozens of people are believed trapped in the ruined Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto, in mountainous central Italy.
There have been hundreds of aftershocks since the quake struck, hampering relief efforts and damaging already unstable buildings.
Thousands of rescuers are using machinery and their bare hands, as they advise all to leave urgently saying the town is crumbling.
Another powerful aftershock has struck sending a huge dust cloud into the air.