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A woman holds a child in a tent-camp set up by the civil protection agency in the village of Paganica, Italy, yesterday. Tens of thousands of people have been left homeless by Monday's earthquake. Pic/AP

Strong aftershocks rocked the Italian city of L'Aquila overnight, raining fresh debris as rescuers pulled more earthquake survivors from the rubble and the death toll climbed to 235.

The government rushed to provide shelter for survivors who were second night away from their homes, and police were patrolling the historic town centre early today to protect abandoned apartments and businesses against looters.