Pope Francis visits quake-devastated Amatrice

(ANSA) - Rome, October 4 - Pope Francis on Tuesday travelled to the Lazio town of Amatrice, which was devastated by the August 24 6.0-magnitude quake that hit central Italy, leaving 298 dead.
    The pontiff travelled to the town for a private visit aboard a VW Golf car with tinted windows and visited the temporary school set up the civil protection to meet students and teachers.
    He met elementary and middle school pupils who gave him drawings as a present, sources said.
    The pope spoke with each one of them, listening to what they had to say and hugging them, according to the sources.
    After the visit, the pope went to the red zone of Amatrice, the part of the town still sealed off to the public after the earthquake, and walked amid the ruins of Lungo Corso Umberto I street accompanied by firefighters. The devastated town is where 234 of the overall fatalities occurred, according to civil protection figures.