Italy earthquake: A country in mourning begins burying the dead

Italy began the painful task of burying its dead Saturday following a massive earthquake, as aftershocks rattled the heart of the country and the death toll climbed to 290.

Some of the mourners at a state funeral for Italy's earthquake victims were clearly in shock as they said goodbye to victims.

In the town of Ascoli Piceno, a state funeral was held in a local gym, a basketball net the backdrop of the altar.

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Thirty-five coffins adorned with flowers and framed photographs sat in three rows for victims from the town of Arquata del Tronto.

Taped at the foot of each coffin was a white paper bearing the name of the deceased.

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Hundreds attended the state funeral and Catholic service to lay their loved ones to rest.

Before the ceremony, family members clustered around each coffin; at one, a teenager sat beside it on the floor, weeping inconsolably. One family encircled a coffin with peach-colored flowers and held each other in a long embrace.

Hundreds of people attended the Catholic ceremony of prayers, Bible readings and hymns, many themselves survivors in casts and bandages. A wall hanging of Jesus on a crucifix overlooked the grieving community, as mourners fanned themselves in the stifling heat.

Mourners grieve at Italy's state funeral for earthquake victims.

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Bishop Giovanni d'Ercole led the ceremony, telling the painful story of a little girl who was saved from the rubble, her sister found dead on top of her, apparently shielding her sibling.

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com