Foreigners among dead in Italy quake

London, Aug 26 (AFP) At least eight foreigners were amongthe 250 people killed when a powerful earthquake struckcentral Italy this week, officials said, as rescuers continuedthe grim search for corpses today. The bulk of the confirmed deaths – 193 at the latest count- were in the small mountain town of Amatrice, which normallyhas a population of around 2,500 but was packed with visitorswhen the quake struck as people slept in the early hours ofWednesday. Three British citizens were killed in the 6.0-6.2magnitude quake, which had a shallow depth of four kilometresexacerbating its impact, an official from Amatrice told theBBC. The British foreign ministry did not immediately confirmthe report, but Foreign Minister Boris Johnson has said anumber of British nationals were affected. "My deepest sympathies are with the Italian people andeveryone affected by the terrible earthquake," said Johnson,who sent condolences to his Italian counterpart PaoloGentiloni. Britain’s Daily Mirror reported that one of the victimswas a 14-year-old boy from London, who was visiting Amatricewith his family. The boy’s parents were injured, while hissister survived and did not need hospital treatment, thenewspaper said. Two Romanians were among the dead, the country’s foreignministry said yesterday, while four nationals were injured andeight more were still missing. Spain’s foreign minister said one Spanish national hadbeen killed, with Spanish media saying it was young woman whohad lived in the village of Illica with her Italian husband,who survived. Canada and El Salvador both said that one of theircitizens had been killed in the earthquake. "We share in the grief of the lives cut short by thisterrible event," said Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dionin a statement. El Salvador said the victim, Rosaura Valiente Oviedo, hadbeen living in Italy since 2009. Her son, Roberto Valiente,survived with minor injuries. The disaster comes seven years after an earthquake in thenearby city of L’Aquila left 300 people dead, raisingquestions about Italy’s ability to prepare for seismic events.(AFP)ABH