Wherefore art thou Romeo? Miracle mutt crawls from Italy’s quake rubble
Romeo had been given up for dead. Photo: AAP
Nine days after a powerful earthquake struck Italy, a golden retriever has miraculously crawled from a pile of rubble.
Firefighters rescued the dog, Romeo, after they heard barking.
At first, Romeo appeared bewildered as he scampered down the mound of broken concrete in Amatrice.
After taking a few steps, however, he wagged his tail and began sniffing his surroundings.
A man in a video of the rescue can be heard yelling in Italian: “Romeo, come here! Best dog in the world!”
The earthquake claimed 231 lives. Photo: ABC
Firefighters said they heard the barking as they accompanied the pet’s owners to retrieve essential belongings from their quake-damaged home.
His tearful owners had given up hope of finding him alive.
They were sleeping on the second floor of their house in the tiny village of San Lorenzo a Flaviano when the earthquake struck before dawn on August 24.
They managed to get out, but Romeo, who was sleeping on the first floor, was trapped inside.
The quake has claimed 231 lives, injured hundreds and left thousands of people either without homes or with homes unsafe to inhabit.
With AAP
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