Dog named Romeo rescued from rubble 9 days after Italian earthquake

AMATRICE, Italy, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- A couple was reunited with their dog who sat buried in rubble nine days after their house was demolished in the earthquake that leveled parts of central Italy.

Romeo, a golden retriever, survived for over a week in a pocket under the rubble of his former home, which was leveled in the 6.2 magnitude quake that rocked the region and claimed the lives of close to 300 people.

Video from members of the Vigili del Fuoco -- Italy's fire and rescue agency -- shows rescuers clearing away beams and rock before reaching Romeo, whose faint barking led to his discovery.

"Luckily some beams had fallen in a way that they were holding up the weight of everything above them leaving Romeo with a little niche that he was able to survive in," a fireman told the ANSA news agency.