Italian Premier Matteo Renzi says the death toll from the quake that hit central Italy has risen to 120.

Renzi spoke Wednesday evening in the provincial capital of Rieti after visiting rescue crews and survivors in the hard-hit town of Amatrice and flying over other demolished towns in nearby Le Marche region.

Renzi said 34 people died in Le Marche, the rest from the other towns. He also says the identification of quake bodies was a difficult process.

Here & Now‘s Meghna Chakrabarti gets the latest from Philip Pullella, a senior correspondent for Reuters in Rome.

The Associated Press contributed reporting to this article.

Guest

Philip Pullella, senior correspondent covering Italy and the Vatican for Reuters. He tweets @PhilipPullella.

Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.

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