Italy earthquake: Girl pulled from rubble undergoes surgery

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A girl who endured nearly 17 hours in the rubble after this week’s earthquake has undergone surgery and is doing well, Italian national news agency ANSA said late Thursday.

After mostly pulling bodies from the rubble, rescue crews in Pescara del Tronto were overjoyed Wednesday evening to hear what sounded like the cries of a survivor.

“Quiet! Quiet,” they said, getting closer to the source of the sound.

An 8-year-old girl is rescued from the debris of a collapsed building in Pescara del Tronto.

The scene was captured on video by CNN affiliate Sky TG24.

A firefighter clawed at the debris, trying to get to her. “Come on. … Come on. Slowly, slowly. Mind her head,” they said to one another as onlookers applauded in support.

Suddenly there was a foot, a leg, and then the other leg.

The girl, later identified as 8-year-old Giorgia, was finally pulled out with great care to a rousing cheer. The body of her sister, 10, was next to her, ANSA said.

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Surveying Italy's earthquake damage

01:26 - Source: CNN

Rescuers are desperate to find anyone who might miraculously have survived this week’s quake that killed at least 250 people and injured more than 360 others in central Italy.

The Italian Council of Ministers approved a state of emergency for the regions affected by the earthquake Thursday, allocating 50 million euros of emergency funding.

A 4.1 magnitude aftershock on Thursday shook aid workers as they sorted through debris in the afternoon sun in the town of Amatrice, one of many tremors to have followed Wednesday morning’s 6.2-magnitude quake that reduced villages to rubble.

A CNN crew in Amatrice was filming in front of a house when the structure partially collapsed, and others around it were completely flattened.

“People were just running onto the roads away from buildings in a panic. We saw our cameras shaking, and journalists here too were panicking,” said CNN producer Margot Haddad.

It was more bad news for rescuers, who have been desperately combing through mountains of rubble for a second day. Wednesday’s quake blocked off narrow streets in ancient towns, making the rescue operation extremely difficult.

Firefighters help residents recover personal belongings from damaged houses in the village of Rio, Italy, on Sunday, August 28. A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck central Italy on Wednesday, killing more than 290 people. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams reach remote areas.

Firefighters stand by an excavator in Amatrice, Italy,on August 28, as dangerously damaged buildings and overhanging ledges are pulled down.

A rescued dog receives treatment in a veterinary care unit in Amatrice, Italy on August 28.

Volunteers on motorbikes drive through the town of Villa San Lorenzo a Flaviano, Italy, on August 28 as they bring supplies to smaller villages.

A destroyed house is seen on Saturday, August 27, in Pescara del Tronto, Italy.

Police inspect rubble and debris in Amatrice, Italy, on August 27.

A drone controlled by Italian firefighters flies over damaged houses in San Lorenzo, Italy, on August 27.

Damaged coffins and rubble are seen at the cemetery of Sant'Angelo, Italy, on August 27.

Rescuers of the Italian Red Cross carry the body of a victim in Amatrice, Italy, on Friday, August 26.

Firefighters and rescue workers stand near the damaged Sant'Agostino church and a destroyed ice cream shop in the Italian village of Amatrice on Friday, August 26.

A woman rests in the courtyard of a convent in Amatrice on August 26.

Firefighters inspect a damaged building from the elevated platform of a firetruck in Amatrice on August 26. Amatrice has been the hardest-hit town, with more than 200 killed there.

An aerial view shows the damage in the village of Saletta on August 26. Strong aftershocks in the region have rattled residents and emergency crews.

A man and woman comfort each other in front of a collapsed house in Amatrice on August 26.

Firefighters cordon off an area around the rubble from a destroyed building in Amatrice on August 26.

Emergency team members set up a tent camp for earthquake victims at a sports field in Arquata del Tronto on August 26.

Rescuers make their way through destroyed houses in Pescara del Tronto on Thursday, August 25. It's unclear how many people remain trapped under debris.

A field kitchen in Amatrice provides meals for emergency workers and earthquake survivors on August 25.

Rescue and emergency service personnel use an excavator to search for victims under the remains of a building in Amatrice on August 25.

An old building in Amatrice is partly damaged after the quake.

An emergency services helicopter takes off in Amatrice as rescuers continue the search for survivors.

A man rests on a bench after spending the night in a makeshift camp set up inside a gym in Amatrice on August 25.

A bird's eye view of Amatrice shows the devastation after the deadly quake struck on Wednesday, August 24.

Rescuers help a woman from the rubble in Amatrice on August 24.

Search-and-rescue teams survey collapsed houses in Pescara del Tronto on August 24.

A man cries as another injured man is helped in Amatrice.

This woman in Amatrice was wounded during the earthquake.

Rescuers carry a man through earthquake debris in Amatrice.

Rocco Girardi receives treatment after being rescued from the rubble in Arquata del Tronto on August 24.

The body of a unidentified child lies on a bench in Arquata del Tronto on August 24.

The quake left this house in ruins in Arquata del Tronto.

Two people hug each other next to damaged houses in Pescara del Tronto.

Two women pass along a stuffed toy in Amatrice on August 24.

Residents take in the damage in Amatrice.