Ischia earthquake baby rescued from the rubble

Rescuers pull out 7-month boy Pasquale from the rubble of a collapsed building in Casamicciola. Photo / AP

By Nick Squires in Rome

Three brothers, including a seven-month-old baby, were pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed building on the Italian holiday island of Ischia after it was hit by an earthquake that killed two people and injured 40.

Rescuers, who at times had to dig away at the rubble with their bare hands, described the survival of the baby boy as "a miracle", the Daily Telegraph reports.

The infant, Pasquale Marmolo, was rescued in the early hours of yesterday (local time) after more than 10 hours trapped in the wreckage.

Firemen clapped and cheered at the sight of the crying infant who otherwise seemed unscathed.

"0400, Ischia, a miracle - baby pulled alive from the rubble," the Italian fire service tweeted.

Several hours later, his brother Mattias, 7, was pulled from under the bed where he had taken refuge.

The last to emerge was 11-year-old Ciro at 2.12pm local time, some 16 hours after the quake struck.

Both brothers sustained cuts, bruises and minor fractures.

Firefighters pull out Mattias to safety after the earthquake. Photo / AP

Firefighters and rescuers pull out a boy, Mattias, from the collapsed building in Casamicciola. Photo / AP

"It was Ciro who saved his little brother Mattias," said Andrea Gentile, a police officer involved in the rescue.

"After the quake hit, he shoved him under the bed, which saved the lives of both of them. Then with a broom handle, he tapped the rubble so that rescuers would hear them."

Rescuers kept the boys' spirits up by constantly talking to them and passing them bottles of water.

"There was silence for a while, they were tired. Then they began speaking again and we drew comfort from that," said Luca Cari, of the fire service.

An emergency worker said: "I promised them that after this was all over, we would go and get a pizza together."

Ciro, 11, is carried on a stretcher after being rescued by Italian firefighters. Photo / AP

Rescuers found 7-month-old Pasquale buried in the rubble of a collapsed building. Photo / AP

Ciro is carried on a stretcher after being rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in Casamicciola. Photo / AP

The boys' father, whose hands were bandaged after he spent the night helping firemen claw through the wreckage, hugged relatives tearfully as his eldest son was rescued.

The boys' mother also survived unscathed.

Firemen "worked for hours without a break to save the three children", the fire service said.

The 4.2 magnitude quake hit the island, in the Bay of Naples, at 8.57pm on Monday (6.57am Tuesday NZT).

Ischia's population is about 50,000 and many tourists were out in bars and restaurants when the shaking started.

It struck at a depth of 4.8km and came just three days before the anniversary of the 6.0 magnitude quake that hit central Italy last year, killing almost 300 people in the hill town of Amatrice and surrounding villages.

The two fatalities on Ischia consisted of an elderly woman hit by masonry falling from a church and a second woman who was found dead beneath the rubble of her home.

Around 40 people were injured.

The brunt of the quake was borne by the village of Casamicciola, where several houses collapsed.

"There was a very loud noise, a rumble. It was like a bomb. At first, we didn't understand that it was an earthquake," said Simona Postiglione, a local resident.

The powerful quake caused panic on the island, which was packed with Italian and foreign tourists.

"When the quake hit, we all ran out into the street. It was very frightening," an Italian holidaymaker said.

A hospital had to be evacuated after cracks appeared in its exterior walls.

Some patients were flown by helicopter to nearby Naples.

Three extra ferries were provided to enable people to leave the island if they wished.

In 1883, around 2300 people died after a powerful earthquake hit the island.

This story originally appeared on the Daily Telegraph and is reproduced with permission.