Relatives of the missing waited in agony yesterday as rescuers dug desperately for earthquake survivors, jarred by a strong aftershock that drove home the continuing danger in this historic central Italian city.

The death toll from Italy's worst earthquake in three decades jumped to 207 as bodies were recovered and identified. Tent camps housed some of the 17,000 left homeless, but many spent the night in the chilly mountain air without blankets or covers.