Eighteen people are dead and many more are reportedly trapped under rubble after a powerful earthquake brought buildings crashing down and made one city “disappear” in central Italy.
The shallow, 6.2-magnitude quake struck 10km southeast of Norcia, a town in the province of Perugia in southeastern Umbria in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The quake was felt as far away as Rome, about 150km away from the epicentre, as homes in the historic centre swayed about 3.30am local time.
Police have confirmed that an elderly couple was killed in the disaster after their home collapsed at Pescara del Tronto in the Marche region.
Amatrice mayor Sergio Pirozzi told RAI television the death toll had reached six.
“Four people are under the rubble, but they are not showing any sign of life. Two parents and two children,” Mr Petrucci said.
Witnesses told Italian media that many buildings had collapsed in villages close to the epicentre of the quake near the town of Norcia in the region of Umbria.
People reportedly ran into streets in central Umbria and Le Marche, according to state-run RAI radio.
There are reports the city of Amatrice, near the epicentre, was “destroyed” and that “half of the city disappeared”. Amatrice is a mountain village in neighbouring Lazio, with a population of less than 3000 people, that was packed with visitors at the peak of the summer season.
Flavio Maccarone, 35, of the Ascoli Piceno province, told news.com.au the “aftershocks keep giopng so we are outside praying that it stops soon”.
“We feel terrified. It feels like we are experiencing again the Perugia quake in 1997 or the Aquila quake in 2009.
“It never ends. We cannot sleep in peace. We are trying to stay calm but it is hard. Our poor people and all our history is damaged.
“You can’t control it. There is nothing you can do. We feel hopeless. The quake affected such a wide area it is hard to send targeted help.
Mr Maccarone said the quake had caused widespread destruction and that he had fears for his friend in Amatrice.
“I keep calling him but he is not answering. I hope it is just a bad signal,” he said.
“Half the country needs help … how do you do that?”
The Amatrice mayor said the quake was a “tragedy” and that some of his 3000 constituents are trapped under the rubble.
The Repubblica newspaper reported that at least one bridge had collapsed, making access for emergency services difficult.
“The access roads to the town are isolated,” Mr Pirozzi said. “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. We are working without lights”.
Widespread damage and several collapsed buildings have been reported in the town of 5000 people.
“The town doesn’t exist anymore,” Mr Pirozzi said.
“The ancient doors have come down. We need help from the civic protection.
“It’s all rubble, it’s a tragedy.”
Alessandro Mazzilli, of the Alpine emergency service of Rieti, said: “There are problems in Amatrice, we are heading that way.”
“Apparently houses have collapsed now, but I am not there yet so can’t confirm,” he said.
“The quake has been felt throughout the whole of central Italy — even in the Adriatic Sea.”
Social media users have taken to Twitter to post photos of the devastation. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s spokesman said on Twitter that the government was in touch with the country’s civil protection agency.
Italy’s Red Cross is reporting that at least one bridge into the mountaneous area is on the point of collapse.
A resident of the Rieti region, which is between Rome and the epicentre of the quake, told the Rainews24 channel that she and most of her neighbours had come out onto the street after feeling “very strong shaking”.

source: news.com.au