Hopes rose of finding more survivors of Monday's Abruzzo earthquake after a 21-year-old student was pulled alive from the rubble during the night after being trapped for 42 hours.

The girl, Eleonora Calesini, from Rimini, asked for some water when rescue workers found her still in her pyjamas. Then with tears in her eyes she asked: "Where are mamma and papa?". Eleonora also asked for her best friend, Enza, who is feared dead.

Gennaro Di Cesare, an officer from the Abruzzo provincial police force who took part in the rescue operation, said she had been trapped between two pillars of reinforced cement, which had protected her from collapsing walls and masonry.

He praised the fire brigade for its "determination and professionalism" in finding her. Firefighters and civil protection workers have come to L'Aquila from as far afield as Bergamo and Venice.

The rescue effort resumed this morning in sunshine after a night of freezing temperatues. At least 250 bodies are being stored in a makeshift mortuary at a school for Italy's Finance Police outside L'Aquila, Italian media reported.

The first funeral of a victim was due to take place later today in the town of Loreto Aprutino, led by the archbishop of Pescara.

Many of the victims were students at L'Aquila's university. A fireman from the port of Pescara who came to help rescue efforts collapsed in tears after unearthing the body of his stepdaughter, who was studying there.

Powerful aftershocks continued to shake the area, sending people in villages and towns surrounding L'Aquila into the streets. Many people spending the night in nearby villages slept in their cars after a jolt which measured 5.4 on the Richter, not far short of the 5.8 tremor on Monday which destroyed much of L'Aquila, including both medieval and modern buildings.

The aftershocks have damaged already fragile buildings, toppling the cupola of L’Aquila cathedral. The Mayor of L'Aquila, Massimo Cialente, says that the historic centre is now off limits.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has vowed to stay in L’Aquila to survey the damage, said rescue operations would continue for at least 48 hours. He said the homeless could find refuge not only in the tent cities erected in sports fields on the outskirts of L'Aquila but also in hotels on the nearby Adriatic coast, at government expense.

150 survivors have been pulled from the rubble so far, and Mr Berlusconi said more might be found. He thanked the rescue teams, saying that they were facing grave risks because of the aftershocks. After at first declining foreign aid, Mr Berlusconi said Italy would gladly accept the support offered by President Obama and would devote it to preserving the region’s cultural and artistic heritage.

An estimated 17,000 people have been left homeless by the earthquake but many have found shelter with friends and family.

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