The mayor of the small town of Amatrice reported extensive damage.
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Pope Francis scrapped his usual Wednesday catechism lesson for pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square to lead the faithful instead in reciting the rosary prayer for the victims.
The hardest-hit towns were Amatrice and Accumoli near Rieti, some 80 miles (100km) north-east of Rome, though the quake was felt beyond the Lazio region into Umbria and Le Marche on the Adriatic coast.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Center put the magnitude at 6.1. Amatrice, birthplace of the famed spaghetti all’amatriciana bacon-tomato pasta sauce, was set to hold its 50th annual festival celebrating the dish this coming weekend. Half the town is gone”, Pirozzi reportedly said, adding, “There are people under the rubble.
” ‘The whole ceiling fell but did not hit me, ‘ marveled resident Maria Gianni”.
The quake struck at 3:36 a.m. with an epicenter 47 miles from the city of Perugia, at a depth of 6 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. “I’m told this was short [for an earthquake], it was 20 seconds, but they felt very, very long, those 20 seconds”.
The mayor of Amatrice, one of the worst affected towns, said it was likely many more people were trapped beneath bricks and mortar who desperately needed saving.
Rescue workers have been targeting their efforts in the town by calling the cellphones of missing residents, and trying to reach those who answer.
The center of Amatrice was devastated, with entire blocks of buildings razed and the air thick with dust and smelling strongly of gas.
The death toll in a strong natural disaster in central Italy has risen to 21, authorities said Wednesday. Helicopters would be sent up at first light to assess the damage, he said.
Italy’s civil protection agency reported at least 73 people died.
Officials were unsure of the full extent of casualties, but at least 11 persons were reported dead including children in the neighbouring villages of Pescara del Tronto and Arquata del Tronto.
Deadly earthquakes have struck Italy in recent years.
Fabio Curcio, head of Italy’s Civil Protection Department, called it a “serious earthquake” that resulted in “wounded” and “serious damage”, ANSA reported. Dozens were pulled out alive: There was relief as a woman emerged on a stretcher from one building, followed by a dog.
Resident Eraldo Di Giacomo spoke of major devastation: ‘Everything has collapsed, houses, everything, ‘ he said in an interview with the same network.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella appealed for solidarity during a ‘moment of pain and of appeal to common responsibility.’ ‘The immediate need is to engage all forces to save lives, care for the wounded and ensure the best conditions for the displaced, ‘ he said.
“The roads in and out of town are cut off”.
Pope Francis has skipped his catechism lesson during his Wednesday general audience and instead led pilgrims in praying the rosary for the victims of Italy’s natural disaster.
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Wednesday’s quake was not far from the the city of L’Aquila, hit by a 2009 quake that killed at least 300 people.
