Construction crews worked through the night to build a tent complex to host an Italian state funeral Tuesday in quake-devastated Amatrice after outraged residents rejected the government's plan to hold the service in a distant airport hangar.
The evening Mass for 37 of the 292 people killed is the second state funeral for victims of the Aug. 24 temblor that flattened three towns in central Italy. The first, held Saturday, honoured victims from the Le Marche region. Tuesday's funeral is for the victims of neighbouring Lazio, which includes hard-hit Amatrice.
The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town centre on the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observed a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-staff.
Initially, authorities planned to hold the funeral in the provincial capital of Rieti, 65 kilometres away, citing safety and organizational concerns. The quake area has seen more than 2,500 aftershocks and faces logistical problems in bringing relatives and government officials into a town with only one serviceable access road.
But grieving residents rebelled at plans to let them watch it on TV or be bussed to Rieti. Sensing a public relations disaster, Premier Matteo Renzi reversed course late Monday and announced the funeral would be held in Amatrice.
Early Tuesday, bulldozers and steamrollers prepared the grounds for the service while a huge, open-sided tented roof was erected to shelter the altar and seating area.
So far, 231 quake victims have been found in Amatrice and 11 more in nearby Accumoli. The bodies of as many as 10 people, including Amatrice's baker, are believed still buried in the rubble. Fifty people were killed in Le Marche.