A 6.2 earthquake struck Italy in the early hours of the morning, described by Italy’s civil protection agency as “severe”, 21 people have been reported dead with many still trapped under rubble.
The first quake hit at 3:36am in Norcia, a town south of Perugia, then Umbria, at a depth of 10km and a 5.4 magnitude aftershock an hour later. Rome has experienced tremors too. Deaths have been reported in the towns of Lazio and Marche, Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto.
Two boys aged seven and four were pulled out from under a house where they stayed with their grandmother, they were said to be hiding under a bed. The worst damage was seen in the town of Amatrice where five people died and rescuers are still searching for survivors.
“The roads in and out of town are cut off. Half the town is gone. There are people under the rubble. There’s been a landslide and a bridge might collapse,” said mayor Sergio Pirozzi.
“There are tens of victims, so many under the rubble. We’re preparing a place for the bodies,” he said.
Seismologist Andrea Tertulliani has stated that further shocks could occur with lowered intensity.
