(ANSA) - Arquata del Tronto (Ascoli Piceno), January 18 -
Three farmers reported missing after an earthquake on Wednesday
morning and who are from the town of Arquata del Tronto in
central Italy have been found.
The regional Civil Protection has said that no other
individuals have been reported in the area, where communication
is difficult due to the snow.
Many animals, however, have been killed or injured as a
result of the earthquake due to the collapse of barns weakened
by the heavy snowfall and many animals cannot be fed in remote
facilities.
The Italian farmers association Coldiretti said that many
animals had died in the area hit by the day's earthquake, "in
territory that is predominantly an agricultural economy, with a
high number of sheep and cows that are suffering in the cold".
Coldiretti said that "only 15% of facilities to protect
animals have been completed and farmers do not know where to
take shelter their cows, pigs and sheep and they are thus forced
to remain in the cold, at risk of getting sick or dying, or in
precarious structures that are collapsing under the weight of
the snow and the latest tremors."
"In the Marche region alone," it continued, "there are at
least 600 cows and 5,000 sheep stuck out in the snow without
shelter. This number is an underestimate since many farms in the
areas hit by the earthquake are remote and unreachable due to
unrelenting snow. Milk trucks have not been making their rounds
for days due to snow blocking the roads. The army's announcement
that it will intervene to open up the roads is thus important."
"The situation," it concluded, "is unsustainable for humans
and animals. Faced with a disaster that was to be expected, we
will act to identify those responsible and act in accordance,
alongside our farmers."
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