On August 24, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck central Italy. In response, funeral prayers took place in the town of Ascoli Piceno beginning Monday, August 29. As a result, a local gym was turned into a funeral hall while a basketball net was used as the backdrop of the altar. Don Sante Bartelli, a priest in Amatrice present at the state funeral, lamented, “There are families which have been destroyed. We must give them hope.”

Throughout the week, the death toll topped over 290 as rescuers continued to dig under the rubble of damaged villages. Of the 292 that died from the disaster, 240 were from the town of Amatrice. Three Britons are also included in the death toll.

Since the earthquake struck, 2000 aftershocks were released in central Italy. Altogether, the earthquake forced an evacuation of 3000 people from their homes, and tents were set up as temporary houses for the displaced.

Reconstruction efforts began as the acclaimed architect Renzo Piano constructed plans for rehousing the displaced residents in lightweight wooden homes. Piano, pondering over the future, claimed, “We are talking about millions of buildings, it is not impossible if you work through generations.”