Death toll of Tuesday's earthquake in Emilia climbs to 17

The death toll of Tuesday's earthquake in Emilia-Romangna climbed to 17 on Wednesday when firefighters found the body of a worker who had been reported missing. The man was one of four people killed at a factory in the town of Medolla, near Modena. Around 350 people were injured and some 8,000 people have been made homeless, joining 6,000 from a quake in the same region 10 days ago that left seven dead. The region is gripped with fear as over 40 aftershocks were registered overnight. Lots of people are terrified to return home, even if their buildings have been declared safe, a Civil Protection Department official said on Thursday. "Many people are not able to open the doors and re-enter, even if they have safe houses that are not damaged," said Maurizio de Pascalis, who is coordinating a team of 14 Civil Protection volunteers in the town of Mirandola, near Modena. "They are blocked by terror". The two massive earthquakes have also left the northern region's economy on its knees. The human toll has been huge on the area's industry, which is one of the driving forces of the Italian economy, as many of the victims were workers and businessmen who were killed when factories and warehouses caved in. The Coldiretti farmers' association estimated on Wednesday that the losses caused for the agro-food sector alone amounted to 500 million euros after an initial survey. This included the cost of damage to machinery and buildings such as stalls, barns, processing plants and warehouses, and the loss of around one million wheels of the region's famous Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan) and Grana Padano cheeses. Premier Mario Monti has cancelled a trip to Brussels for a conference on Thursday, government sources said, in order to manage the emergency. The Cabinet is expected to approve measures on Wednesday to address the situation in an area that had already been declared an emergency zone after the previous quake. The government is reportedly considering increasing petrol duties to raise money for reconstruction.