Death toll in Italy quake reaches 260, some 28,000 left homeless

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said that the death toll in the earthquake that hit central Italy has reached 260, and has left some 28,000 people homeless.

Speaking at a news conference Wednesday in the devastated mountain town of L'Aquila, Berlusconi said the dead included 16 children, while nine bodies still had to be identified.

Berlusconi said that L'Aquila Bishop Giuseppe Molinari would hold a funeral service for the victims on Friday.

The premier said 17,000 left homeless by the quake that struck Monday had found shelter in tent camps set up by authorities, while another 10,000 people were housed in hotels along the coast, bringing the overall number of homeless to almost 28,000.