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American Morning
Desperate Search Intensifies in Southern Italy
Aired November 01, 2002 - 09:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A desperate search intensifies in Southern Italy this morning for three people believed to be trapped in the ruins of a school. An earthquake leveled a classroom in the small town of San Giuliano Di Puglia yesterday, where dozens of kids were celebrating Halloween. An 8-year-old boy was pulled alive only hours ago from the rubble, and another child was found dead this morning.
Our Chris Burns joins us now live from the scene with the very latest -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, a lot of grim scenes here. In fact, the one over my shoulder is the gym, is the gymnasium here, where you can see people gathered outside. All the bodies are being held in there. Also other grim scenes next to the school itself that collapsed. They have pulled out a number of bodies, five bodies, as a matter of fact, one just in the last hour. There are three left in there. Two children and one teacher. A woman teacher in there who they're looking for now with a very desperate search now with heavy equipment, with dogs, with searchers searching with their bare hands.
Families outside grieving as each body is pulled out, wailing and weeping. One woman struggled to get into an ambulance to try to see if it was her son or daughter who was in there.
So very desperate scenes today as we watch as more bodies are being pulled out -- Leon.
HARRIS: Well, let me ask you this, Chris. Right now, how strong is the sense of hope in this point?
BURNS: Very thin sense of hope here, actually, Leon, because officials say that really, it's been more than 24 hours now. The collapse of that school was so complete, it collapsed like a house of cards, that there is really very little room for anybody to have survived at this point. That is their belief. You go through earthquakes now and then, you see that miracles happen after several days, but up to now, authorities are fairly despondent of fining anybody alive at this point.
HARRIS: Here is hoping they're wrong. Here's hoping for a miracle there. Chris Burns, reporting to us live there from Southern Italy.
Thank you, Chris. We will check back in later.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 1, 2002 - 09:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A desperate search intensifies in Southern Italy this morning for three people believed to be trapped in the ruins of a school. An earthquake leveled a classroom in the small town of San Giuliano Di Puglia yesterday, where dozens of kids were celebrating Halloween. An 8-year-old boy was pulled alive only hours ago from the rubble, and another child was found dead this morning.
Our Chris Burns joins us now live from the scene with the very latest -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, a lot of grim scenes here. In fact, the one over my shoulder is the gym, is the gymnasium here, where you can see people gathered outside. All the bodies are being held in there. Also other grim scenes next to the school itself that collapsed. They have pulled out a number of bodies, five bodies, as a matter of fact, one just in the last hour. There are three left in there. Two children and one teacher. A woman teacher in there who they're looking for now with a very desperate search now with heavy equipment, with dogs, with searchers searching with their bare hands.
Families outside grieving as each body is pulled out, wailing and weeping. One woman struggled to get into an ambulance to try to see if it was her son or daughter who was in there.
So very desperate scenes today as we watch as more bodies are being pulled out -- Leon.
HARRIS: Well, let me ask you this, Chris. Right now, how strong is the sense of hope in this point?
BURNS: Very thin sense of hope here, actually, Leon, because officials say that really, it's been more than 24 hours now. The collapse of that school was so complete, it collapsed like a house of cards, that there is really very little room for anybody to have survived at this point. That is their belief. You go through earthquakes now and then, you see that miracles happen after several days, but up to now, authorities are fairly despondent of fining anybody alive at this point.
HARRIS: Here is hoping they're wrong. Here's hoping for a miracle there. Chris Burns, reporting to us live there from Southern Italy.
Thank you, Chris. We will check back in later.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
