A hospital nurse in the Lazio
town of Amatrice, which was flattened by a 6.2-magnitude August
24 earthquake, said Friday he dug his two dead children out of
the rubble with his bare hands.
Carlo Grossi, who has worked as an emergency responder at
Amatrice's Grifoni Hospital since 1981, managed to rescue his
ex-wife who was still alive after digging through what was left
of their house with the aid of the family dog, Laga.
But 21-year-old daughter Anna and 23-year-old son Franco
didn't make it.
"Anna and Franco didn't realize what was happening," said
Grossi, who is taking part in rescue operations following the
quake despite his loss.
"The earthquake took them away from me in their sleep and
there was nothing I could do for them".
"The first body I found after rescuing my wife was my
daughter Anna's," he added.
"I saw her braid first".
The nurse said he then found his son in his habitual
sleeping position: face down, with his arms open hugging the
mattress.
The family house was completely destroyed.
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