ROME, Aug. 23 (UPI) — The death toll continues to grow in central Italy, where a devastating earthquake leveled entire villages and towns, burying residents under mountains of rubble.
Italy’s Civil Defense office reported at least 120 were killed after the initial magnitude-6.2 earthquake shook Rome and central Italy.
The initial quake struck at 3:36 a.m. local time with an epicenter 47 miles southeast of Perugia at a depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS expects there could be many casualties, given the level of destruction in an area of older, unreinforced masonry buildings that do not fare well in earthquakes.
Buildings in Rome shook for up to 20 seconds, La Repubblica newspaper reported.
Most deaths so far have been reported in the Lazio region villages of Accumoli and Amatrice, where at least 28 died. At least 10 people died in the Marche region villages of Arquata and Pescara del Tronto. Thousands remain missing.
Sergio Perozzi, the mayor of Amatrice, said, “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.”
Accumoli Mayor Stefano Petrucci told ANSA that all homes in the city are uninhabitable and that a tent city for the “entire population” would have to be set up. At least 2,000 among the displaced are summer vacationers, he said.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is helping coordinate rescue efforts with authorities, the Italian Council of Ministers said in a statement. Italy’s minister of infrastructure and the head of the Italian National Civil Protection Department are expected to travel to affected areas.
“I was deeply saddened by the news of the earthquake that hit central Italy early on Wednesday morning,” European Union Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a letter to Renzi. “My thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims. On behalf of the European Commission and myself personally, please accept our deepest sympathies. We stand, as ever, in solidarity with the Italian nation and are ready to assist in any way we can.”
