World's oldest person dies at 117

The world's oldest person died in Italy today at the age of 117, media reports say.

Emma Morano was born on November 29, 1899 in the Piedmont region of Italy.

She was officially the last person born in the 1800s.

Morano attributed her longevity to her genetics and a diet of three eggs a day, two of them raw.

She was the oldest of eight siblings, all of whom she has outlived. She died at her home in the northern city of Verbania.

Her life not only spanned three centuries but also survived an abusive marriage, the loss of her only son, two World Wars and more than 90 Italian governments.

Morano had admitted that her longevity was partly down to genetics: her mother reached 91 and several sisters reached their centenary.