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"I worked, I knitted," said Mrs D'Antuono, from the village of Tempera, close to L'Aquila. The redoubtable nonagenarian told rescuers that she was in good health when she was found this morning, according to Sky TG24.

For many families there was no good news. In Piazza Sant’ Andrea in the historic centre of L'Aquila, Davide De Angelis, 64, was embracing his wife Anna Laura in tears as rescue workers dug in the ruins of his house.

"They have found four people alive, but my brother is still under there, and so are my sister-in-law, my granddaughter and her boyfriend," he said.

At the hospital, Guido Marini, a 23-year-old student, who was being treated for shock and injuries to his hands and legs, said that he had spent three hours under the rubble next to the body of his dead flatmate before being dug out by neighbours using their bare hands.

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I found a scene of devastation - a jewel of medieval Italy has collapsed

Richard Owen in L'Aquila

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"I shouted and shouted," he said. "Thank God they heard me. My mobile phone was nearby and I could hear it ringing but I couldn’t reach it."

Mr Berlusconi said that 7,000 rescuers were at work in L’Aquila and the 24 smaller towns and villages affected by yesterday’s earthquake, with volunteers arriving from as far afield as Venice and Genoa.

The first phase of the rescue – checking the rubble for survivors – was going satisfactorily and should be completed within 48 hours, he said.

As tremors continue, everyone working in the city has been advised to walk in the middle of the street to avoid falling debris, and residents have been warned not to return to their homes.

Thousands have been evacuated to five tent cities set up in sports fields. Many endured a wet, cold night, lying on the grass under canvas but without blankets. This morning they queued to be served breakfast.

Dozens shunned the tents and camped out in their cars. Hundreds of hotels and 800 bed and breakfast establishments have also offered refuge to the homeless. The Government is negotiating discounted prices.

As the rain cleared and the sun rose, a stream of ambulances and civil protection units continued to roar through L'Aquila.

Outlying villages such as Onna and Castelnuovo have also been devastated. Nearly a quarter of the victims, 39 people, died in Onna, whose population was a mere 250.

"My husband has been helping the rescue workers and he has been taking away bodies with his bare hands," said Silvana, pointing at the ruins of Onna's village school. "It is a nightmare."

Tomorrow 1,500 surveyors will begin assessing the thousands of buildings damaged by the earthquake. Mr Berlusconi promised that "every crack" would be examined.

Robert Maroni, the Interior Minister, has announced €130 million (£117 milion) in emergency funds. Mr Berlusconi, whose government already faces a huge public debt, has said that it will apply for EU disaster funds.

The earthquake struck at 3.32am on Monday, lasting 30 seconds and registering between 5.8 and 6.3 on the Richter scale. Whole blocks of buildings collapsed, and the bell tower fell from the 16th-century church of San Bernardino, as did the cupola of the Baroque church of Sant' Agostino.

About two thirds of the buildings in L'Aquila were either damaged or destroyed, officials said. Damage to monuments was reported as far away as Rome, where cracks appeared at the third century baths built by the Emperor Caracalla.

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