Italian Earthquake 'Kills Three Britons', Official Says, As Death Toll Rises To 267

'We will work relentlessly until the last person is found'.

Three Britons are among the 267 people killed in the devastating earthquake in Italy, it has been reported.

The BBC quoted an official from the central Italian town of Amatrice, one of the worst affected areas, saying three Britons had died.

One of them is a 14-year-old boy who was on holiday with his parents and sister, MailOnline reported.

None of them has been named and their deaths have not been confirmed by the Foreign Office.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said extra staff had been sent to the region to help provide support to Britons affected by the “terrible” quake, The Press Association reports.

An injured man is rescued in Amatrice, where an official has said three Britons died in the earthquake
An injured man is rescued in Amatrice, where an official has said three Britons died in the earthquake
ASSOCIATED PRESS

The UK Government has offered “any assistance that we can” to the Italian authorities, Johnson said.

He said: “My deepest sympathies are with the Italian people and everyone affected by the terrible earthquake that struck central Italy.

“The British Government has offered any assistance that we can to help with the recovery effort and I have spoken with Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni to express my condolences personally.

“As the scale of the disaster has become clearer we now know that a number of British nationals have been affected.

“British Embassy staff are in the region providing consular support, and we have deployed additional staff to support this effort.”

Two people hug each other next to the remains of a collapsed house
Two people hug each other next to the remains of a collapsed house
ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Foreign Office would not give any information on whether Britons were injured or killed in the quake.

Aftershocks have been felt in central Italy as rescue workers continued efforts to find survivors.

A day after the shallow quake levelled three small towns, a 4.3 magnitude aftershock hit the already-devastated settlement of Amatrice.

Firefighters and rescue crews using sniffer dogs have been working in teams around the hardest-hit areas of the country.

“We will work relentlessly until the last person is found, and make sure no one is trapped,” said Lorenzo Botti, a rescue team spokesman.

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