A 6.2 magnitude quake struck central Italy early Wednesday morning just over six miles southeast of Norcia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, causing at least 120 confirmed deaths and many more missing feared dead or severely injured, officials said. Reports say the quake caused extensive damage to the central town of Amatrice.
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A powerful, 6.2-magnitude quake and a series of strong aftershocks struck central Italy overnight, collapsing homes near the epicenter, rattling buildings as far away as Rome and Venice and leaving Italian rescue workers desperately scrambling to aid trapped residents.
The village of Pescara del Tronto was also badly hit, with the Italian news agency ANSA reporting that at least 10 people had been killed there.
A 6.2-magnitude natural disaster struck central Italy on Wednesday, destroying parts of popular vacation spots in the mountainous zone.
Rescuers are in a desperate race against time to find survivors under the rubble, while more than 2,000 people have been left homeless.
In an interview with Italian news agency, Sergio Pirozzi, mayor of Amatrice, explained that “half of the town is gone”.
Accumoli, Amatrice, Posta and Arquata del Tronto and Cari-all in central Italy, were among the hardest hit towns. She recalled sleeping at home when the magnitude 6.2 quake hit at 3:36 a.m.
Residents were digging their neighbors out by hand, as emergency crews had not arrived in force.
Collapsed houses in Pescara del Tronto, Italy.
Tommaso della Longa, a spokesman for the Red Cross, said the images coming out of Amatrice are grim.
“I could feel the ground shake and my three dogs started to go a little insane, running around and barking”, Maurizio Serra, 56, told USA TODAY.
“It’s all young people here, it’s holiday season, the town festival was to have been held the day after tomorrow so lots of people came for that”, said Amatrice resident Giancarlo.
The most deadly since the start of the 20th century came in 1908, when an quake followed by a tsunami killed an estimated 80,000 people in the southern regions of Reggio Calabria and Sicily.
The latest reports by the Associated Press say at least 73 people were killed in the quake.
“Now that daylight has come, we see that the situation is even more terrible than we feared, with buildings collapsed, people trapped under the rubble and no sound of life”, said Accumoli mayor Stefano Petrucci.
“I hope they don’t forget us”, he told Sky TG24. The Franciscan friars who are the custodians of the basilica reported no immediate damage from Wednesday’s tumblor.
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The State Department is asking U.S. Citizens in Italy to contact family or check in on social media. They are complicating rescue efforts and creating more fear among survivors.
