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Cat rescued after 32 days trapped in quake rubble

Catherine Edwards
Catherine Edwards - [email protected]
Cat rescued after 32 days trapped in quake rubble
Rocco the cat after being rescued. Photo: Vigili del Fuoco

One month on from the earthquake that devastated Amatrice, most residents are just starting to come to terms with the loss, as authorities rush to move the last people out of the temporary tent camp and into local hotels or other accommodation.

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But for one family at least, there has been some positive news.

A cat named Rocco was rescued alive from the rubble and reunited with his owners, after spending 32 days trapped beneath the ruins.

The fire service shared the news on their social media accounts of Sunday evening. "Happy owners!" they added.

READ MORE: Why quake-hit Amatrice will never be the same again

Rocco is not the only 'miracle pet' in the central Italian town. Another cat, Pietro, was saved after 16 days, having survived on rainwater alone.

A third lucky feline, named Gioia, survived five days in the ruins of her home before being rescued, and a golden retriever called Romeo was pulled from the rubble of Italy's earthquake more than nine days after he was given up for dead.

One month on from the quake, which killed almost 300 and left around 2,500 homeless, Italian Prime Minister Renzi promised to rebuild the damaged towns "so they are as beautiful, more beautiful than before."

The quake, which had a magnitude of 6.0 to 6.2, hit central Italy in the early hours of August 24th, devastating villages in the Lazio, Marches, Umbria and Abruzzo regions and causing at least four billion euros ($4.48 billion) worth of damage, Renzi said.

The tent camps will be replaced within the next seven months with wooden houses as reconstruction work on the hamlets and towns is carried out, while local businesses will re-open where possible in containers, he added.

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