At least 38 people were killed after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck central Italy in the middle of the night Wednesday
near the town of Perugia, the U.S. Geological Survey said, in what is
being described by the Italian Civil Protection agency as a “severe”
seismic event. The epicenter is in the province of Rieti, northeast of
Rome. Residents in the capital city reported tremors that lasted as long
as 20 seconds. At least 150 people are still missing. The mayor of
Amatrice, a small town with a population of a few thousand, said
buildings collapsed and that residents are stuck under debris. “The
roads in and out of town are cut off. Half the town is gone. There are
people under the rubble,” Mayor Sergio Perozzi said in a radio interview
on RAI. “There’s been a landslide and a bridge might collapse.”
According to the Associated Press, a family of four in the town of
Accumoli was “trapped under debris, without any signs of life.” The
quake hit at 3:36 a.m.
local time.
Italian media said several aftershocks were reported, including one
that was a magnitude 5.5. Many of the buildings in the affected towns
are centuries old. A USGS geophysicist told CNN the region could be
facing “very significant losses.” Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s office
said in a tweet that the government is “in contact with all affected
areas” and was deploying rescue efforts. |
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