The Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, today sparked controversy when he said the 17,000 people made homeless by Monday's earthquake should think of themselves as being on a "camping weekend".

Berlusconi made the remark during an interview with a German television channel as he visited one of the emergency camps set up to cater for people who have lost their homes in the disaster.

The quake, which devastated the city of L'Aquila and surrounding towns and villages, has now claimed 260 lives.

Berlusconi told the reporter for the N-TV channel that the homeless quake victims "lacked nothing".

"They have medicaments. They have hot food. They have shelter for the night," he said.

"Of course, their current lodgings are a bit temporary. But they should see it like a weekend of camping."

His remarks – which seem to have been intended to reassure the public – scarcely correspond to the experiences of the homeless.

Between Monday and Tuesday, they had to endure a night of driving rain and hail during which temperatures fell to 4C (39F).

Yesterday, Berlusconi told a press conference in L'Aquila that 14,500 tents had been made ready and another 2,000 were available on standby.

However, tents were still lacking for 200 people by the time night fell.

Twenty "tent cities" have been set up to take the homeless, while other people driven out of their houses by the earthquake have been lodged in hotels and elsewhere.

Berlusconi's comments came as rescuers continued searching for survivors after a powerful aftershock brought two apartment blocks crashing down in L'Aquila today, causing panic among rescue workers and survivors.

The aftershocks caused chunks of masonry to fall from damaged buildings, including parts of the basilica in L'Aquila. The tremor – measured by the US Geological Survey at magnitude 5.6 – was felt as far away as Rome.

A 76-year-old Roman man was reported to have died of a heart attack following the tremor, according to Reuters.

Berlusconi said 260 people including 16 children, had died, while nine bodies remained to be identified. He said about 100 of the injured were in serious condition.

The Ansa news agency reported today that four students trapped in the rubble of a dormitory of the University of L'Aquila had died.

The first funeral of a victim was due to take place in the town of Loreto Aprutino today, led by the archbishop of Pescara.

Pope Benedict XVI said he would visit the shocked and injured people of the area as soon as possible.

The pontiff praised the relief operations as an example of how solidarity could help overcome "even the most painful trials".

The Vatican said he would visit the stricken area after Easter Sunday.

Berlusconi has said he will appeal for special European Union funding to deal with the consequences of the disaster, which came as his debt-laden government was struggling to respond to the global economic crisis.

He suggested that some of the cash earmarked for infrastructure projects designed to revive the economy could be spent in the L'Aquila area.