Nine days after a devastating earthquake struck central Italy, a golden retriever named Romeo has rescued, pulled, alive, from rubble in Amatrice.
Central Italy has been devastated following a 6.2 magnitude earthquake on 24 August. The most powerful in the country since 2009, over 300 people have died since the disaster. A number towns in the area have been wiped off the map entirely, with thousands of people were left without homes.
But in a small good news story following the earthquake, nine days after the disaster, footage released by the fire department in Amatrice shows a golden retriever who answers to the name Romeo being pulled from rubble in the town and appearing to show very little effects from his ordeal.
According to ABC, Romeo’s owners returned to what was left of their home on Friday for the first time since being evacuated following the earthquake.
Romeo heard their voices and started barking - firefighters were soon able to remove him from the rubble.
One fireman told the ANSA news agency: "We immediately began moving masonry from where the barking was coming from and incredibly we got to him and he was in pretty good condition," one of the firemen told the ANSA news agency.
"Luckily some beams had fallen in a way that they were holding up the weight of everything above them, leaving Romeo with a little niche that he was able to survive in."
Amidst all the tragedy, a truly heartwarming moment.
For those wishing to help following the earthquake, you can donate money to La Stampa's emergency fund here and specify that you want your gift to go to "Fund 597 Earthquake in Central Italy," or "Fondo 597 Terremoto Centro Italia."
Disaster relief charity Shelterbox has begun collecting donations so it can distribute care boxes that include items like tents, tools, blankets, water purification systems and colouring books for children.
