Italy rocked by 6.1 magnitude earthquake
Reports of collapsed buildings and people trapped under rubble
A MINUTE AGO by: Associated Press and Jennifer Thompson
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake has struck Italy, with reports of damaged buildings, blackouts and people fleeing their homes.
The quake struck just after 3.30am local time and was felt across a broad section of central Italy, including the capital Rome where people in homes in the historic centre felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks.
First images of damage showed debris in the street and some collapsed buildings in towns and villages that dot much of the Umbrian countryside.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre put the magnitude at 6.1. The US Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.2, with the epicentre at Norcia, about 170km north-west of Rome, and with a relatively shallow depth of 10km.
The mayor of the Umbrian town of Amatrice, which was hit hard by the quake, told state-run RAI radio and Sky TG24 that residents were buried under the debris of collapsed buildings, that the lights had gone out and that heavy equipment was needed to clear streets covered with debris.
“The town isn’t here any more,” he said
Asked if there were any dead he said: “There are houses that aren’t here any more. I hope we get some help.”
Images posted on Twitter show severe damage to buildings. The magnitude of the earthquake meant more than 266,000 people living within 100km could be affected, according to the Global Disaster Alert and Co-ordination system run by the EU and UN.
In 2009 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck in the same region and killed more than 300 people. The earlier earthquake struck L’Aquila in central Italy, about 90km south of the latest quake.