The earthquake that hit Italy last month, killing 297 people, caused damage worth at least €4bn (£3.4bn), the Italian prime minister has said.

Matteo Renzi pledged that the towns and villages devastated by the 24 August quake would be rebuilt and restored to their former glory.

"Our country will rebuild the areas hit by the quake so they are as beautiful - more beautiful than before," Mr Renzi said.

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The €4bn estimate was the first made by the government. However, Mr Renzi said the extent of the damage was still being assessed.

The 6.2-magnitude quake flattened mountain communities in central Italy when it struck in the early hours. The picturesque town of Amatrice was largely reduced to rubble.


Some 3,000 people were left homeless and most of them have been living in tent encampments.

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With sometimes powerful aftershocks still rocking the area and temperatures falling, officials have vowed to move the people out of the camps as soon as possible.

"Our priority is to shut the tent camps. We hope it will happen as soon as possible, many will be leaving as early as this weekend," said Fabrizio Curcio, the head of Italy's civil protection department.

Mr Renzi also wants to make new buildings in Italy, one of the most quake-prone countries in Europe, more resistant to earthquakes.

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A prosecutor investigating the aftermath of the quake said shoddy cut-price renovations in breach of local building regulations could be partly to blame for the high death toll.

Reconstruction efforts after previous disasters have been marred by corruption and negligence. Officials this time have pledged to be transparent about the use of funds.