A 10-year-old girl has been rescued from the rubble of the Italian earthquake - after being trapped upside down for 17 hours.

A firefighter clutched her tightly to his chest after she was freed from the ruins of a building in the town of Pescara del Tronto.

Crowds had gathered round after one person spotted signs of life under the rubble, saying: "You can hear something under here. Quiet, quiet."

Footage shows her dust-covered legs poking out of the debris, with cheers breaking out as the pony-tailed youngster was eventually freed.

Jubilant rescuers shouted "she's alive" as she was carried away.


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Firefighter Danilo Dionisi said: "The 10-year-old girl was just pulled out now from the rubble and she is being taken to the hospital and that is good news.

"As far as the rest is concerned, the images speak for themselves, you can see what the town looks like."

Image: Italy earthquake

At least 247 people have been killed in central Italy following the 6.2-magnitude quake in the early hours of Wednesday.

The frantic search for survivors is continuing, but the mayor of the hardest-hit town - Amatrice - says he believes the death toll will rise.

Rocks and metal fell on to the streets in the centre of Amatrice and dazed residents sheltered in piazzas as more than 40 aftershocks hit the region in the early hours.

Image: A collapsed house following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy Image: A destroyed car is seen following the earthquake in Amatrice Image: A building is severely damaged after being struck by the earthquake Image: Rescuers walk through rubble following the earthquake in Amatrice Image: An injured person is carried away on a stretcher following an earthquake at Pescara del Tront Image: A man walks amid the carnage in Pescara del Tronto, after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake hits central Italy Image: Rocco Girardi. 75, is rescued from ruins in Arquata del Tronto Image: An aerial view shows the decimated hamlet Image: A man is pulled alive from the rubble in Amatrice Image: A girl is rescued from the rubble in Amatrice Image: Rescuers and people walk along a road in Accumoli di Rieti Image: Rescuers continue to look for survivors in the devastated town of Amatrice Image: Rescuers gather food and basic necessities for survivors in Amatrice Image: Collapsed buildings in Amatrice Image: Amatrice is among the worst-hit towns Image: Shocked residents assess the damage in Amatrice, in northern Lazio Image: An injured woman is carried to safety in Amatrice Image: Rescuers search through the rubble of a collapsed house in Amatrice Image: The interior of a house after the quake in Amatrice Image: A woman in tears as she is led to safety after being rescued from her home Image: The quake was felt across a large swathe of Italy Image: A police officer searches through rubble Image: The earthquake hit just after 3.30am local time and sent people running from their homes Image: The epicentre of the quake was near near Norcia in Umbria Image: Rescuers dig through the ruins in Amatrice Image: A dog is rescued from the earthquake rubble Image: Rescuers work following an earthquake that hit Amatrice Image: Rescuers work at a collapsed house Image: A damaged house in Arquata del Tronto, in the Marche region Image: The wall has crumbled in the side of a house in the quake Image: Cracks in a damaged house in Arquata del Tronto Image: The once picturesque town of Arquata del Tronto is reduced to ruins Image: A home ripped apart by the quake Image: A drone photo shows the damages following an earthquake in Pescara del Tronto, central Italy Image: Rescuers work at a collapsed building in Amatrice Image: Volunteers work to move rubble and debris during search and rescue operations in Amatrice, central Italy, following an earthquake /

Some of the survivors have described apocalyptic scenes "like Dante's Inferno" after the quake, with buildings razed to the ground and dust and gas filling the air.

The epicentre was northeast of Rome, near Norcia in Umbria, and sent tremors across the rural central spine of Italy.

Guido Bordo, 69, lost his sister and her husband after they were trapped inside their holiday house in the hamlet of Illica, near Accumoli.

"There's no sound from them, we only heard their cats," he said, before their deaths were confirmed.

Aerial Footage Of Earthquake Devastation

"I wasn't here. As soon as the quake happened, I rushed here. They managed to pull my sister's children out, they're in hospital now."

Two boys aged four and seven were saved by their grandmother, who ushered them under a bed as soon as the shaking began, reports said. She also survived but lost her husband.

In 2009 a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck in L'Aquila, 55 miles south of the latest quake, killing more than 300 people.