Dog lives eight days in rubble

A pet dog has been reunited with its owners after surviving for eight days in the rubble of a house demolished by the Italian earthquake.

Grey terrier Pasqualina was rescued by firefighters who heard her whimpering from beneath tons of rubble.

'We are so happy to have her back,' said owner Marcello Luciolimoli, from L'Aquila.



'The night of the earthquake I tried to get her but it was too dangerous. We had given her up for dead.'

It took firefighters three days to dig Pasqualina out of the ruins before they traced her owners through her collar.

Amazingly, she survived unhurt. Nearly 300 people died in the 6.3 magnitude earthquake which struck last week.