50 killed as massive earthquake of magnitude 6.2 hits central Italy

Italy:  At least 50 people has been killed after a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck central Italy, destroying houses, trapping residents and sending others fleeing in the streets of the mountain villages in the early hours of Wednesday. Several buildings in small communities close to the quake epic-centre were brought down with Accumoli, Amatrice, Posta and Arquata del Tronto among the worst affected areas.

Local officials said residents and emergency services were scrambling to rescue people trapped in rubble at dawn and also indicating that the death toll could likely rise.

 

Italy’s head of civil protection service, Fabrizio Curcio described the quake as “severe” adding that  the shocks were strong enough to wake residents of central Rome, which lies some 150km away.

Local officials confirmed an elderly couple as the first two victims whose home collapsed in Pescara del Tronto in the Marche region.

 

According to US States Geological Survey, the first quake struck at about 3.30am local time, while a magnitude 5.4 aftershock followed an hour later.

Mayor of nearby Arquata del Tronto, Aleandro Petrucci said Pescara was one of “two or three hamlets that have just completely disintegrated.”

 

The Mayor also said that another person had died and a family of four including two young children were also trapped, feared dead, in their collapsed house in Accumoli.

“We have a tragedy here,” said Stefano Petrucci.

“For the moment one death is confirmed but there are another four people under the rubble and they are not responding.

“It is a disaster, we have no light, no telephones, the rescue services have not got here yet.”

One of the resident of the village told Rai that she was woken up by the shaking in time to witness the wall of her bedroom cracking open. She was then able to escape into the street with her children.

Two dead bodies were recovered from rubble in Amatrice, a mountain village in neighbouring Lazio.

 

According to AGI news agency, the Mayor of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi said access to the village had been blocked, making it difficult for emergency services to gain access.

“Half the village has disappeared,”

“There is a landslide on one road, a bridge is about to collapse on the other one,” he said.

“We can hear voices under the rubble.”

“I’ve issued an appeal to free up the roads. Half the village is no more, we have people buried under the rubble. I fear they are dead. We have room for rescue helicopters but the priority is to clear the streets.”

In a Tweet by the office of Premier Matteo Renzi, it said heavy equipment was on its way. Spokesman to the Prime Minister also Tweeted that the government was in contact with the country’s civil protection agency.

A residents of Rieti region told Rainews24 channel that she and some of her neighbours ran out onto the street after feeling “very strong shaking”.

 

According to reports by Italian news service repubblica, there was damage at Norcia, and “extensive” damage to Castelluccio.

Although the mayor of Norcia has reported extensive damage and several collapsed buildings in his town of about 5000 people.

 

Another resident Matteo Berlenga who left his house near Gubbio in the central Italian region of Umbria when the earthquake struck told Reuters “It was the worst of my life.”