What was once the thriving main street of Amatrice now looks like it has been hit by a sustained artillery attack, writes our Rome correspondent Nick Squires.

One of the buildings worst hit was the convent and church of the Most Holy Crucifix.

The three-storey building folded in on itself, its historic bell tower crashing to the ground.

“I was sleeping but suddenly heard this strange noise. I woke up and saw that everything was destroyed,” said Marianna, 35, a nun who was helping to look after the elderly people staying in the convent on a summer retreat.

She sustained a deep gash to her forehead and her hair was matted with blood and dust.

She was rescued by a young local man who hauled her out of the wreckage.

They then heard more cries for help – two other nuns were trapped in the debris. This time it was a pair of local forest rangers who went to the rescue.

“They performed a very heroic act, they risked their lives. I’m sure God will reward them,” Marianna said. A panel on the outside of the convent that recounts its history notes that it was badly damaged by an earthquake before – back in 1639.