The earthquake that struck central Italy on Wednesday has killed at least 159 people, the country's civil protection agency said.
With 368 people injured, some critically, and an unknown number trapped under rubble, the death toll from the pre-dawn quake was expected to rise, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told reporters after visiting the badly-hit village of Amatrice.
"This is not a final toll," he warned as hundreds of emergency services staff and volunteers prepared to work through the night in the hope of plucking more survivors from the ruins.
Bulldozers had arrived but they had not yet been deployed as the dog units worked to recover remaining survivors.
The local sports centre had been converted into a camp for residents who had stayed. "Most of them look exhausted and are sleeping on the floor of the gymnasium."
Aid workers were stacking bottled water against the walls and toilet paper between the goal posts, and they had created a makeshift pharmacy.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said it was too early to begin a debate on what might have been done to prevent the disaster.
"Today is the time for tears and emotion," he said, vowing that his government would start reconstruction work first thing on Thursday.
Hundreds of people were to spend a chilly night in hastily-assembled tents with the risk of aftershocks making it too risky for them to return home.
