A magnitude 6.1 quake struck central Italy early Wednesday, with reports of damaged buildings and blackouts near the epicenter Rieti and residents fleeing their homes and running into the streets.
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Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s spokesman said on Twitter that the government was in touch with the country’s civil protection agency and following the situation closely.
He declined to make any statement to reporters, saying it was “not the time to talk”. The earlier natural disaster struck in L’Aquila was about 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of this latest quake. Children were among the dead.
The U.S. Geological Survey said it was a 6.2 magnitude quake that hit near the town of Norcia, in the region of Umbria, at 3.36 A.M. local time. Its tremors even rattled Rome, about 100 miles away.
“To hear the mayor of Amatrice say his village no longer exists, and knowing that there are children among the victims, is very upsetting for me”, he said. “The aim now is to save as many lives as possible”. “We can hear voices under the rubble”.
The civil protection agency confirmed that 53 of the dead were in Amatrice alone and about 150 people were still unaccounted for.
A resident of the Rieti region, which is between Rome and the epicentre of the quake, told the Rainews24 channel that she and most of her neighbours had come out onto the street after feeling “very strong shaking”.
“Another woman, sitting in front of her destroyed home with a blanket over her shoulders, said she didn’t know what had become of her loved ones”.
” ‘It was one of the most attractive towns of Italy and now there’s nothing left, ‘ she said, too distraught to give her name. We are living this enormous tragedy”, said the Rev. Savino D’Amelio, an Amatrice parish priest.
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In the neighboring province of Marche, the natural disaster was felt at 3.36 a.m.
“The hotel creaked and groaned.as the prolonged jolt tested the building, which held up well. There was only a slight and small superficial crack in the masonry”, he said.
“It lasted for at least 30 seconds”.
The quake, which registered between 6.0 and 6.2, was strong enough to be felt in Bologna to the north and Naples to the south, each more than 220 km from the epicenter.
The temblor shook the Lazio region and Umbria and Le Marche on the Adriatic coast, a highly seismic area that has witnessed major quakes in the past. Victims are still being pulled from the rubble, and the full extent of the devastation is not yet clear.
Many of those affected were on holiday in the region.
Wednesday’s quake was not far from L’Aquila. In the nearby village of Accumoli, a family of four, including two boys aged 8 months and 9 years, were buried when their house imploded. The 6.2 magnitude quake has effected the central towns of Norcia, Pescara del Tronto, Accumoli and Amatrice.
Pope Francis skipped his traditional catechism for his Wednesday general audience and instead invited the thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square to recite the rosary with him.
German leaders have offered condolences and assistance to Italy.
Israel’s leader says he has offered Italy rescue assistance following the magnitude 6 natural disaster that shook the country.
“We’re digging, digging. hoping to find someone alive”, he said.
Fabrizio Curcio, the head of Italy’s civil protection service, classed the quake as “severe”.
Some buildings in the area feature architecture dating to the 16th century, according to the website for the city of Amatrice.
“Listen, I know it’s not nice to say but if you need to pee you just do it”, he said.
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Silvana Tibollo, the president of the National Congress of Italian Canadians (NCIC), Toronto district, said her organization is collecting donations to put towards finding proper accommodations and supplies for survivors.
