Italian fire fighters have rescued a cat named Pietro  more than two weeks after an earthquake struck central Italy which killed nearly 300 people.

Fire brigade officers had accompanied the cat's owners to retrieve their belongings from their destroyed house when they heard some faint meows.

The cat was coaxed out from under the debris and taken by ambulance to a veterinary clinic. Pietro's condition is said to be critical and he is currently undergoing treatment.

Fire brigade officers also recovered art works from destroyed churches including the church of Sant'Agostino in Amatrice.

Many parts of Amatrice, known as the town of one hundred churches, were damaged by the 6.2 magnitude earthquake which struck on August 24 .

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