Authorities in Italy working through seismic aftershocks today made final preparations for a mass funeral for 29 victims of Thursday's earthquake.

Prosecutors arrived in abandoned San Giuliano di Puglia today to start an investigation into whether anyone was to blame for the deaths of 26 children buried under their school in an earthquake.

HOPES faded yesterday that anyone else would be rescued from an Italian school knocked down

Italian emergency crews clawing through the rubble of a school pulled a boy alive from the wreckage today, almost 24 hours after an earthquake collapsed the building during a Halloween party.

Italian rescuers today frantically hunted for survivors of an earthquake which killed at least 23 people, including 20 children crushed when their school collapsed.

Groans from dying Italian children could be heard tonight from beneath tons of concrete after an earthquake brought their nursery school crashing down on top of them.

Officials now say at least five children were killed in southern Italy today when an earthquake brought their nursery school roof down on top of them.