Earthquake in central Italy leaves dozens dead
At least 73 people have been killed in an earthquake that hit a
mountainous area of central Italy, authorities say.
The magnitude 6.2 quake struck at 03:36 (01:36 GMT), 100km (65
miles) north-east of Rome, not far from Perugia.
Many of the dead were in Accumoli, close to the epicentre, and a
short distance away in Amatrice, where three-quarters of houses were destroyed.
Many people are still believed buried under the rubble, and the
death toll is expected to rise.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi paid tribute to the volunteers and
civil defence officials who had rushed to the scene in the middle of the night
and used their bare hands to dig for survivors,
The quake struck at a shallow depth of 10km and its intensity
was compared to that of the Aquila earthquake in April 2009 in which 309 people
died.
Some buildings in the capital shook for 20 seconds as the quake
struck the regional border area of Umbria, Lazio and Le Marche. It was felt
from Bologna in the north of Italy to Naples in the south. Some 80 aftershocks
have been reported since.
 mage copyrightGOOGLE/APImage captionT |
| Ihese pictures show the main street in Amatrice before and after the quake |
 Credit: owner |
| pictures show the main street in Amatrice before and after the quake |
Italy's civil
protection department said that at least 73 people were now known to have been
killed.
While the full extent
of casualties is still emerging, Italian news agency Ansa is reporting that it
believes at least 35 people have been killed in Amatrice and 11 in Accumoli,
and another 17 in the villages of Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto.
The mayor of Arquata
del Tronto, Aleandro Petrucci, spoke of a disaster. "The village isn't
there anymore. Almost all the houses in Pescara del Tronto have
collapsed."
An elderly couple and
a boy were among the victims there, while 20 people have been taken to
hospital.
ome of the worst damage was in Amatrice. The missing there include three nuns.
"The roads in and out of town are cut off," said mayor Sergio Pirozzi. "Half the town is gone. There are people under the rubble. There's been a landslide and a bridge might collapse.
"There are tens of victims, so many under the rubble. We're preparing a place for the bodies."
Residents described using sheets to climb down from the upper floors of damaged houses. The local hospital was described as unusable and survivors were taken to nearby towns for treatment.
The town's 13th Century bell tower was one of the few historic buildings in the centre that remained standing. Amatrice is popular with holidaymakers from Rome.
AP
AP
The BBC's James Reynolds, who is in Amatrice, said that sniffer dogs were being sent into buildings to search for more survivors.
In Accumoli, a short distance to the north of Amatrice, Mayor Stefano Petrucci said a family of four, including two small children, were missing under a collapsed house.
A local photographer spoke of 15 rescuers digging with bare hands to try to reach the family.
"They can hear the screams of the mum and one of the children," he said.
Rescuers were also trying to dig out a 58-year-old man trapped in his home.
Accumoli is popular with holidaymakers and most of the 2,500 people left displaced by the earthquake were said to be visitors.
Mr Renzi promised affected areas that "no family, no city, no hamlet will be left alone".
CORPO FORESTALE
REUTERSWhy is Italy at risk of earthquakes? By Jonathan Amos
Quakes are an ever-present danger for those who live along the Apennine mountain range in Italy.
Through the centuries thousands have died as a result of tremors equal to, or not much bigger than, the event that struck in the early hours of Wednesday. The modern response, thankfully, has been more robust building and better preparation.
INGV INSTITUTE
Mediterranean seismicity is driven by the great collision between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates; but when it comes down to the specifics of this latest quake, the details are far more complicated.
The Tyrrhenian Basin, or Sea, which lies to the west of Italy, between the mainland and Sardinia/Corsica, is slowly opening up.
Scientists say this is contributing to extension, or "pull-apart", along the Apennines. This stress is compounded by movement in the east, in the Adriatic.
The result is a major fault system that runs the length of the mountain range with a series of smaller faults that fan off to the sides. The foundations of cities like Perugia and L'Aquila stand on top of it all.
Seismologist Andrea Tertulliani said there were sure to be further, numerous shocks that would probably diminish in intensity.
"But it can't be ruled out that there could be another shock on the same scale as the main one," he added.
Italy's civil protection agency described the earthquake as "severe".
"It was so strong," Lina Mercantini of Ceselli, Umbria, told Reuters. "It seemed the bed was walking across the room by itself with us on it."
REUTERS
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Source: BBC News
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