The death toll from a devastating earthquake in central Italy continues to climb even as the country observes a day of national mourning Saturday, and the first funerals are held for some of the 290 victims.<br />Amongst the 35 coffins laid out in a sports hall were small caskets holding the bodies of an 18-month-old baby and a nine-year-old girl, two of the 21 children who are known to have died when the quake hit central Italy early on Wednesday.<br />“Only together can we rebuild our houses and churches.<br />Above all, together we can give life back to our communities,” Bishop Giovanni D’Ercole said, speaking in front of a dusty crucifix salvaged from one of dozens of churches devastated by the quake.
