sentences:  Troops were soon sent to the city and martial law was declared by General Feira Di Cossatto.Rescuers searched through the ruins for weeks, and whole families were still being pulled out alive days following the earthquake but thousands remained buried there.Buildings in the area had not been constructed for earthquake resistance, having been built out of small stones and carelessly-applied mortar with heavy tiled roofs, ornamental cornices, unsupported cross beams and vulnerable foundations on soft soil.