26 August 2016, 12:12 GMT
ROME (Sputnik) — Flags will be flown at half-mast on public buildings throughout the country, according to the statement.
Local media reported earlier in the day, that Italian President Sergio Mattarella, as well as the Italian prime minister would attend a funeral mass scheduled for Saturday at 11:30 local time (09:30 GMT) in the city of Ascoli Piceno.
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook the mountainous regions of Umbria, Lazio and Le Marche in the early hours of Wednesday, causing extensive damage, with around 650 aftershocks continuing for 48 hours.
Over 260 people have been killed, and nearly 300 historic buildings damaged.
