Amatrice set to remember earthquake dead at state funeral for 37 victims

Construction crews are completing a tent complex to host an Italian state funeral in quake-devastated Amatrice after outraged residents rejected the government's plan to hold the service in a distant airport hangar.

The evening Mass for 37 of the 292 people killed is the second state funeral for victims of the August 24 disaster that flattened three towns in central Italy.

The first, held on Saturday, honoured victims from the Le Marche region. The latest funeral is for the victims in neighbouring Lazio, which includes hard-hit Amatrice.
The service will take place on the edge of Amatrice's obliterated medieval town centre in the grounds of a Catholic retreat. It comes as Italy observes a second day of national mourning, with flags on public buildings flying at half-mast.
Initially, authorities planned to hold the funeral in the provincial capital of Rieti, 40 miles away, citing safety and organisational concerns. The quake area has seen more than 2,500 aftershocks and faces logistical problems in bringing relatives and government officials into a town with only one serviceable access road.
But grieving residents rebelled at plans to let them watch it on TV or be bussed to Rieti.