Premier Matteo Renzi, visiting the quake-affected zone Wednesday, promised to rebuild “and guarantee a reconstruction that will allow residents to live in these communities, to relaunch these lovely towns that have a wonderful past that will never end”.
Advertisement
The Mayor of Amatrice, the town at the epicenter of the Italian quake, told the media a short while after the disaster that “the town is no more”. Civil protection chief Fabrizio Curcio warned that figures were still fluid, as rescuers are still digging under the rubble and dozens of people remain unaccounted for.
Several buildings collapsed and lights went out after the natural disaster, Perozzi said. He said he had trouble communicating with emergency responders and couldn’t reach the hospital.
Still, some Illica residents vowed they would stay.
“The whole ceiling fell but did not hit me”, resident Maria Gianni told the Associated Press.
“When we learned that the hardest hit place was here, we spoke to our bishop and he encouraged us to come here to comfort the families of the victims”, said a priest who gave his name only as Father Marco as he walked through Pescara del Tronto.
Search parties sifted through the rubble in various towns and villages as the sun rose. Even those whose houses were still standing were barred from returning for fear the buildings were unsafe.
Fabrizio Curcio, the director of Italy’s civil protection agency, activated national emergency procedures.
The fact that the devastation comes just seven years after more than 300 died in the nearby town of L’Aquila has prompted concerns not enough is being done to protect people’s property and lives.
When the quake initially struck, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the first quake measured 6.2, which said it occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres (six miles).
Government officials said Thursday they were focused on rescuing survivors and making damaged buildings secure, not on the long-term viability of the tiny hamlets. “That is the good news”.
Whatever the case, it’s likely that in the coming days, the death toll in the Italy quake will continue to climb.
The U.S. Embassy restricted all but essential official travel to the area and recommended that U.S. citizens defer travel in these areas as well. “When the biggest one came, the auto started moving and shaking”. “I could hear other dogs in other apartments”.
Mario, a father of two small boys, said he was still in shock.
Facebook issued a safety check for those potentially affected by the quake. One aftershock had a magnitude of 5.1.
Advertisement
Italy is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in Europe, as it sits on two faultlines.
