By Levinus Nwabughiogu
ABUJA-President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed deep grief and sympathy with Italy over the deadly earthquake that has claimed more than two hundred lives in the central parts of the country.

Rescuers and firemen inspect the rubble of buildings in Amatrice on August 24, 2016 after a powerful earthquake rocked central Italy.
The earthquake left 38 people dead and the total is likely to rise, the country’s civil protection unit said in the first official death toll. Scores of buildings were reduced to dusty piles of masonry in communities close to the epicentre of the pre-dawn quake in a remote area straddling the regions of Umbria, Marche and Lazio. / AFP PHOTO

“My heart and prayers go out to the people of Italy at this time of national mourning, caused by the devastating earthquake”, said the President.

According to a statement by Mallam Garba Shehu, the Special Assistant to the President on media and publicity, President Buhari has told the Italian Prime Minister, Mr. Matteo Renzi, that his family, the government and the people of Nigeria shared the grief of Italian citizens over this deadly natural disaster.

The President also prayed to God to comfort the families of the victims and grant them the fortitude to overcome their grief at this emotionally challenging time.