Italy: 4 bodies pulled from building of missing Israeli student
It remains unclear whether casualties in quake-stricken city include Hussein Hamda from Kabul
It is still unclear whether one of the bodies belongs to 23-year old Husein Hamda, from Kabul in northern Israel, who resides in the house. More than 200 people died in the quake.
Hamda's father, already in the city, has been told by rescue services that chances of finding his son alive were slim.
Rachel Feinmesser, spokeswoman for the Israeli Embassy in Rome, told Ynet that there was still hope after two women were rescued from the ruins. "In addition, the consul and the father visited all of the hospitals in hopes of finding him injured, because there is a chance he wasn't in the building that collapsed," she said.
The Foreign Ministry said it was preparing to return Israelis staying in the area hit by the quake to Israel. The ministry stated that 32 students were still in Perugia, and that a flight had been arranged for midnight for anyone who wished to leave the country.
L'Aquila's university's student housing is made up of two main buildings, one of which collapsed while the other was damaged lightly.
Post-quake L'Aquila (Photo: AP)
Reda Tzfuri, 21 of Kfar Kana, resides on the third floor of the side that remained whole. "In the middle of the night everything started falling – I opened my eyes and saw the ceiling coming towards me," he told Ynet.
"It was a miracle that I got out. Outside I saw all the buildings collapsing. Then, when I went back to the room to get my suitcase and passport, everything was upside down. I didn't recognize my room at all," he said.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi praised rescue efforts and said the search for missing persons would continue for the next 48 hours. He said 150 people had been rescued from the wreckage, and that 190 casualties had already been identified.
He also told citizens to refrain from returning to their homes as aftershocks were possible.
