One house in three was destroyed in the Italian region devasted by an earthquake last week which will also leave tens of thousands without jobs, according to public safety department figures quoted by media on Tuesday.

In the town of L'Aquila, epicentre of the April 6 quake, half of the homes have been left uninhabitable, Corriere della Sera newspaper reported.

And about 20 percent of buildings that can be used again will still need some work on them, La Stampa newspaper quoted experts as saying.

About 30,000 people have lost their jobs because of industrial buildings and offices that were destroyed or damaged, according to the estimates.

Aftershocks are still jolting the Abruzzo region of central Italy of which L'Aquila is the capital and many people whose homes have been declared habitable are staying in tents because of the new tremors.

On Monday night, an aftershock of magnitude 5.0 hit the region, one of the strongest since the quake.

The head of Italy's National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology reported Monday that 10,000 aftershocks have rattled the region since April 6.

Snow, rain and persistent cold have made life difficult in the tent villages set up for quake victims but people can only return to their homes when they have a certificate from the authorities saying their house is safe.

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