The death toll rose to 247 early Thursday morning as rescue teams and volunteers raced to find survivors after a series of intense earthquakes rocked central Italy on Wednesday. Two large earthquakes and about 200 aftershocks left a number of towns in ruin throughout the mountainous region, which lies alongside a major fault line under the Apennines.

The horror began at 3:36 in the morning when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck near the town of Norcia, The New York Times reports, followed by a 5.5 magnitude earthquake about an hour later, hitting the towns of Accumoli, Amatrice, and Arquata del Tronto. Large parts of some villages near the epicenter, including Pescara del Tronto, appeared to be have been reduced to rubble. The earthquakes caused widespread damage, affecting the Lazio region, the Marche region, and the Tyrrhenian coast. Tremors were reportedly felt as far as Bologna and Rome, where prime minister Matteo Renzi announced, “No family, no city, no hamlet will be left alone.” He later traveled to the disaster zone, where he promised a major reconstruction effort.

National emergency protocols have been activated in Italy and emergency workers are focused on rescuing people who are trapped under debris. On Wednesday, rescue crews had managed to reach most of the impacted towns, but scores of people were still buried. “Right now, it’s not about counting the dead, it’s about saving the living. There is a real sense of urgency here,” CNN’s Barbie Nadeau reported. The rescue effort continued Thursday morning, a survivors continued to be found among the victims.

Pope Francis postponed his Wednesday catechesis to express his sympathies for victims of the disaster. “I also express my condolences to those who have lost loved ones, and my spiritual support to those who are anxious and afraid,” he said, CNN reports. “Hearing the mayor of Amatrice say that the town no longer exists, and learning that there are children among the dead, I am deeply saddened.”