At least 38 people were killed as a strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck central Italy overnight, causing serious damage to at least three mountain towns northeast of Rome, authorities said Wednesday.
Immacolata Postiglione, head of Italy's Civil Protection, said that 10 died in Arquata del Tronto and another 28 in the area of Accumuli and Amatrice.
Initially Postiglione had said the death toll had reached 37, but then corrected herself, adding another fatality.
The quake hit just past 3.30 a.m. as townsfolk in the largely agricultural area slept.
"There are still people under the rubble and missing, so the count may still rise," Postiglione said.
Stefano Petrucci, Mayor of Accumoli, said six people had died. However, the nearby towns of Arquata del Tronto, Amatrice and Norcia, which lie on a well-known fault line, were also badly affected, with buildings leveled to the ground by the temblor.
Fabrizio Curcio, press spokesman of regional Civil Protection, in charge of organizing the rescue, called for "patience and respect" for the victims and those affected by the earthquake.
He said authorities had not given a provisional count of the number of people killed or injured.
Each municipality would submit its own figures before a final count was established, he said.
Petrucci explained that apart from one body that was recovered from the rubble, a family of four, including two children, was buried under a house that has completely collapsed and there were no signs of life.
Two other victims were an elderly couple whose home collapsed in Pescara del Tronto, in Marche region and another was killed in Arquata del Toronto.
The mayor explained that the area is completely destroyed and Civil Protection services and the Italian army are digging through the rubble searching for possibly trapped survivors.
"We are fully operative," Curcio said.
He said it was hard to reach certain areas, given their geographical position and debris blocking the roads.
The Mayor of nearby town of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi, described the situation as "dramatic," with "many dead."
The quake was felt across a broad section of central Italy, including the capital Rome where people in homes in the historic center felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks...
EFE
24/8/16
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Immacolata Postiglione, head of Italy's Civil Protection, said that 10 died in Arquata del Tronto and another 28 in the area of Accumuli and Amatrice.
Initially Postiglione had said the death toll had reached 37, but then corrected herself, adding another fatality.
The quake hit just past 3.30 a.m. as townsfolk in the largely agricultural area slept.
"There are still people under the rubble and missing, so the count may still rise," Postiglione said.
Stefano Petrucci, Mayor of Accumoli, said six people had died. However, the nearby towns of Arquata del Tronto, Amatrice and Norcia, which lie on a well-known fault line, were also badly affected, with buildings leveled to the ground by the temblor.
Fabrizio Curcio, press spokesman of regional Civil Protection, in charge of organizing the rescue, called for "patience and respect" for the victims and those affected by the earthquake.
He said authorities had not given a provisional count of the number of people killed or injured.
Each municipality would submit its own figures before a final count was established, he said.
Petrucci explained that apart from one body that was recovered from the rubble, a family of four, including two children, was buried under a house that has completely collapsed and there were no signs of life.
Two other victims were an elderly couple whose home collapsed in Pescara del Tronto, in Marche region and another was killed in Arquata del Toronto.
The mayor explained that the area is completely destroyed and Civil Protection services and the Italian army are digging through the rubble searching for possibly trapped survivors.
"We are fully operative," Curcio said.
He said it was hard to reach certain areas, given their geographical position and debris blocking the roads.
The Mayor of nearby town of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi, described the situation as "dramatic," with "many dead."
The quake was felt across a broad section of central Italy, including the capital Rome where people in homes in the historic center felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks...
EFE
24/8/16
--
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