The eight-year-old girl was pulled alive from the rubble in Pescara del Tronto, one of the three towns most severely damaged by the earthquake in central Italy.
As night fell, two women ran up the street yelling: “She’s alive!”
Chief firefighter Danilo Dionesei confirmed the girl was rescued and was taken to a nearby hospital. He did not immediately give any further details about her condition.
Updated
An eight-year-old girl has been pulled out alive from earthquake rubble, according to a firefighter chief in Italy. More details soon.
Updated
Death toll rises to 120
The Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, has said at least 120 people have died in the earthquake, rising from 73 earlier in the day.
Updated
Afternoon summary
Here is a summary of everything we know so far:
- At least 73 people have died and many more are missing after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit a string of hill towns and villages across central Italy. It struck at 3.36am when most people in the hardest-hit towns of Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto were asleep.
- Italy’s prime minister, Matteo Renzi, is to visit the worst-hit areas later on Wednesday. In a TV address he said the priority was to get survivors out of the rubble and promised that no area or family would be left behind.
- The army was mobilised to help with special heavy equipment and the treasury released €235m of emergency funds. Rescue workers used helicopters to pluck trapped survivors to safety in the more isolated villages, which had been cut off by landslides and rubble.
- Pope Francis thanked rescue workers and volunteers and invited everyone to join him in prayer for the victims. Six of the Vatican’s 37 firefighters have travelled to Amatrice to help civil protection workers look for survivors still under the rubble and assist those already rescued.
- Patients at the badly damaged hospital in Amatrice were moved into the streets. The mayor of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi, told local media: “Half the village has disappeared. The aim now is to save as many lives as possible. There are voices under the rubble, we have to save the people there.”
- Stefano Petrucci, THE mayor of nearby Accumoli, said about 2,500 people were left homeless in the local community, made up of 17 hamlets.
- The US Geological Survey said it was the largest earthquake in Italy since April 2009 when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit L’Aquila, killing at least 295 people and injuring more than 1,000. It said the epicentre of the Wednesday earthquake was about two miles (4km) north-east of Norcia and 40km north of Amatrice.
- France, Germany and the EU have offered their assistance. The French president, François Hollande, said France would provide “all the help that might be necessary” after a “terrible tragedy”, while the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, expressed “the deep sympathy of the German people”.
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Donations can be made to this number:
#terremoto Italia Centrale: per donare numero solidale 45500 https://t.co/wgErcmIEpY pic.twitter.com/NSAKggQlKm
— Io non rischio (@iononrischio) August 24, 2016
Reuters reports that six of the Vatican’s 37 firefighters have travelled to Amatrice to help civil protection workers look for survivors still under the rubble and assist those already rescued.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has said Germany is ready to provide any aid needed by Italy. At a news conference in Estonia, Merkel said:
The pictures we are seeing are awful. We will be ready to do everything we can to help Italy if needed, and our thoughts are with the people of the region today.
Updated
The earthquake in Italy throws the spotlight on lax construction laws, writes John Hooper.
The death toll from the earthquake that hit Amatrice and other villages in central Italy is rising at an alarming rate. But so far it looks as if the number of fatalities will be substantially lower than when an earthquake of comparable force hit the nearby city of L’Aquila in 2009, killing 309 people.
The casualty tally will nevertheless be far higher than it should be in a country of Italy’s wealth – but much lower than it might have been. The 6.2-magnitude earthquake, like the one that devastated L’Aquila, struck at night.
Had people been at work, in shops or at school, the outcome would have been much worse. Two years ago, Gian Vito Graziano, president of Italy’s National Council of Geologists, said that according to some estimates, if the L’Aquila earthquake had struck when students were in their classrooms, “the number of victims would have been thousands, not hundreds”.
A family of four, including two boys aged 8 months and nine, were buried when their house in Accumoli imploded, Reuters reports. As rescue workers carried away the body of the infant, carefully covered by a small blanket, the children’s grandmother blamed God: “He took them all at once,” she wailed.
In Amatrice, a resident named Giancarlo said: “It’s all young people here, it’s holiday season, the town festival was to have been held the day after tomorrow so lots of people came for that. It’s terrible, I’m 65 years old and I have never experienced anything like this, small tremors, yes, but nothing this big. This is a catastrophe.”
Lina Mercantini, of Ceselli, Umbria, about 75km away from the hardest hit area, said: “It was so strong. It seemed the bed was walking across the room by itself with us on it.”
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Seventeen crews from the state police have reportedly arrived in the affected areas to prevent looting:
#Terremoto: per prevenire sciacallaggio 17 equipaggi dei Reparti Prevenzione Crimine della @poliziadistato hanno raggiunto le zone colpite
— Regione Lazio (@RegioneLazio) August 24, 2016
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Christos Stylianides, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, has issued a statement. He said:
We express our heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones.
Our thoughts are also with the first responders and all those involved in the rescue operations.
Italy is part of our European family and as the European Union we stand in full solidarity with the Italian people and the national authorities at this time.
The EU is ready to help.
Stylianides said the commission’s emergency response coordination centre was closely monitoring the situation and had been in contact with the Italian civil protection authorities during the night regarding any help which could be requested.
So far, the Italian authorities have requested that the copernicus emergency management services provide damage assessment satellite maps for the affected area.
The EU ambassador to the US added:
My condolences and sympathy to everyone affected by the #Italy earthquake. The EU stands ready to help https://t.co/HqY0YW89VW #terremoto
— David O'Sullivan (@EUAmbUS) August 24, 2016
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Over the past seven centuries, there have been “between 20 and 30” large, damaging quakes in the central Apennines, according to Joanna Faure Walker, a lecturer at University College London’s Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, as quoted by AFP.
- In 1703, three very powerful quakes, all above magnitude six, hit the central Apennine region encompassing Norcia in less than three weeks, killing an estimated 10,000 people.
- In January 1915, a 6.7-magnitude quake near Avezzano, around 70 km to the south-west of Wednesday’s event, killed about 32,000 people.
- In September 1997, a 6.0-magnitude quake 50km to the north-west killed 11 people and destroyed more than 80,000 homes in the Marche and Umbria regions, according to the USGS website.
- In April 2009, a 6.3-magnitude event 45km to the south-east, at the historic city of L’Aquila, killed around 300 people.
Seismologists pointed to the risk of aftershocks, which posed a threat to survivors and rescue teams because they could bring down damaged structures. “Aftershocks are likely to continue for several weeks,” said Sandy Steacy, of the University of Adelaide, Australia. “These earthquakes cause disproportionate damage for their size because they shake structures weakened in previous events.”
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The earthquake hit in one of Italy’s most seismically prone regions and dangerous aftershocks are possible, scientists have said.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the quake occurred six miles (10km ) south-east of Norcia, measuring 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale and striking at a shallow depth of only 6.2 miles.
Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology placed its epicentre in Riete province, near the towns of Accumoli and Amatrice, at a depth of 4km.
Bill McGuire, the emeritus professor of geophysical hazards at University College London, told the Science Media Centre (SMC) that “earthquakes are quite common in this part of central Italy” and pointed to the complex tectonics of the Apennines – the country’s mountainous “spine”.
He added: “Although the region is not on a tectonic plate boundary, there are many active faults in the region, accumulating strain and releasing it periodically in moderate earthquakes of around magnitude 6.”
But, McGuire said, the record also shows that plus-6 quakes have also occurred in these regions. They often happen near the surface – something that makes a big difference in their impact.
The moment magnitude scale is logarithmic, which means an increase of one unit (1.0) is equal to about 32 times more energy released in the event.
The closer the event is to the surface, the more shaking there is on the ground.
Updated
Death toll reaches 73
At least 73 people have been killed in the earthquake, according to Italy’s civil protection unit, as quoted by AFP.
Immacolata Postiglione, the head of the unit’s emergency department, announced the new toll at a press conference in Rome as rescue efforts continued in the mountain villages devastated by the quake.
Italian police have released helicopter footage of the worst-hit areas.
#terremoto le immagini dei paesi colpiti dal sisma dagli elicotteri della #poliziadistato pic.twitter.com/UIn5HawgO1
— Polizia di Stato (@poliziadistato) August 24, 2016
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The medieval church of Sant’Agostino in Amatrice appears to have been badly damaged in the earthquake.
MAP: Magnitude 6.2 earthquake levels #Amatrice in central Italy, damaging the medieval Church of Sant'Agostino pic.twitter.com/M68ezCgKMT
— Liam Bolton (@LiamBoltonUK) August 24, 2016
A guide to the area said the facade of the church included a 15th-century rose window and a sculpted late Gothic entrance.
Images from the town appeared to show the rose window had been destroyed.
The church also included notable statues of the Archangel Gabriel, the Virgin Annunciate and images of monks in ornamental motif on one of its cornices.
Inside there are prized 15th-century paintings of the Annunciation and the Madonna and Child with two Angels (1492), attributed to a painter from the circle of Vittore Crivelli and Pietro Alemanno.
Damage to the area’s heritage is being assessed, according to reported.ly’s Marina Petrillo.
Among destroyed buildings in Amatrice, 13th century churches with frescoes. Damage on artistic heritage in the area is being assessed.
— Marina Petrillo (@alaskaHQ) August 24, 2016
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The Vatican has dispatched six of its firefighters to Amatrice to help with the rescue efforts, a papal spokesman told reporters.
Vatican: As a sign of closeness to the victims of the #ItalyEarthquake, Pope Francis sent six of the Vatican firemen to help in Amatrice
— Ines San Martin (@inesanma) August 24, 2016
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Here’s what’s left of Pescara del Tronto where at least 10 people were killed.
Earlier Italy’s forestry police told AP that they had extracted dozens of people alive from the town.
News footage from the hill town showed rescue workers being winched from a helicopter.
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The US state department has urged Americans in Italy to contact their friends and families to offer reassurance they are safe.
US citizens in #Italy if you're safe after the #earthquake please contact family and friends, check in on social media
— Travel - State Dept (@TravelGov) August 24, 2016
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The Italian news agency Ansa estimates that the death toll has increased to 63, including that figure of at least 35 dead in Amatrice given by the local mayor. Ansa’s estimate also includes 11 people confirmed to be killed in Accumoli and another 10 victims in Pescara del Tronto.
#Terremoto, per il bilancio non ufficiale sono almeno 63 le vittime. Dati ufficiali e constatati dall'ANSA sul posto https://t.co/h6vJvOyp0U
— Agenzia ANSA (@Agenzia_Ansa) August 24, 2016
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As aftershocks continue, Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology has charted a summary of seismic activity in central Italy over the last 12 hours.
Sequenza Sismica tra le province di Rieti Perugia Ascoli L'Aquila Teramo aggiornamento ore 12 https://t.co/UqVrhjJCyp
— INGVterremoti (@INGVterremoti) August 24, 2016
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Some of the victims are known to be children. Save the Children expressed its sadness and warned that children who survived were especially vulnerable to psychological trauma.
Its chief executive, Valerio Neri, said: “Children are the most vulnerable during emergencies and the impact of such events on their psyche is especially traumatic.
“To help children cope with the trauma, it is important that parents and carers find a way to stay close to them and make them feel that they are safe and secure. It is important talk and play with them and, above all, listen. It is also important to prevent your children watching television and seeing images of the disaster.”
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Photographer Massimo Percossi captured what is likely to be one of the most enduring images of the earthquake. It shows an injured nun in Amatrice checking her mobile phone as she sat next to a victim laid out on ladder and covered in a blanket.
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AP has footage of a man and a girl being rescued from the rubble in Amatrice.
35 dead in Amatrice
At least 35 people have been killed in the town of Amatrice alone, Sky News Italy reports, citing the mayor, Sergio Perozzi.
#Terremoto, sindaco #Amatrice: bilancio è di 35 morti #Canale50 https://t.co/JyQT9ybAWd
— Sky TG24 (@SkyTG24) August 24, 2016
Rai News cites the same figure.
#terremoto +++ 35 vittime accertate solo ad #Amatrice +++ pic.twitter.com/QfF63xKqsw
— Rainews (@RaiNews) August 24, 2016
The Italian Red Cross continues to search for survivors in the rubble of Amatrice.
#Terremoto Amatrice, continuano le ricerche dei dispersi fra le macerie. Volontari #CRI sul posto. #UnItaliacheaiuta pic.twitter.com/19HQhZkpZF
— Croce Rossa Italiana (@crocerossa) August 24, 2016
AP has this video of rescue efforts in Amatrice.
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Summary
Here’s what we know so far:
- At least 38 people have died and many more are missing after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit a string of hill towns and villages across central Italy. It struck at 3.36am when most people in the hardest-hit towns of Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto were asleep.
- The civil protection agency said 27 people had died between the towns of Accumoli and Amatrice, and a further 10 were killed in the nearby Arquata area. Thousands of people have been left homeless.
- A survivor in Amatrice said: “It was one of the most beautiful towns of Italy and now there’s nothing left. I don’t know what we’ll do.”
- Italy’s prime minister, Matteo Renzi, is to visit the worst-hit areas later on Wednesday. In a TV address he said the priority was to get survivors out of the rubble and promised that no area or family would be left behind.
- Pope Francis has thanked rescue workers and volunteers and invited everyone to join him in prayer for the victims. “I cannot fail to express my heartfelt sorrow and spiritual closeness to all those present in the zones afflicted,” he said.
- The mayor of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi, told local media that dozens of people had died. He said: “Half the village has disappeared. The aim now is to save as many lives as possible. There are voices under the rubble, we have to save the people there.”
- The US Geological Survey said it was the largest earthquake in Italy since April 2009 when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit L’Aquila, killing at least 295 people and injuring more than 1,000. It said the epicentre of the Wednesday earthquake was about two miles (4km) north-east of Norcia and 40km north of Amatrice.
- France, Germany and the EU have offered their assistance. The French president, François Hollande, said France would provide “all the help that might be necessary” after a “terrible tragedy”, while chancellor Angela Merkel expressed “the deep sympathy of the German people”.
Updated
Video footage from Pescara del Tronto, where at least 10 people were killed, shows that much of the hill town has been reduced to rubble.
#Terremoto Pescara del Tronto. Il paese è raso al suolo. Macerie e soccorsi. Video @NicoleRamadori pic.twitter.com/TTFeslcZ1H
— Rai Radio1 (@Radio1Rai) August 24, 2016
Updated
Pope Francis turned his weekly general audience into a prayer service, according to Catholic publication Crux. The pope is reported to have said:
On hearing the news of the earthquake that has struck central Italy and which has devastated many areas and left many wounded, I cannot fail to express my heartfelt sorrow and spiritual closeness to all those present in the zones afflicted.
He offered his condolences to all who have lost loved ones and expressed his spiritual closeness to those who are “anxious and afraid”. He added:
I want to assure all the people of Accumoli, Amatrice, the diocese of Rieti, Ascoli Piceno and all the people of Lazio, Umbria and Le Marche of the prayers and close solidarity of the entire church.
Updated
Matteo Renzi’s office has tweeted this video of the prime minister’s statement.
Dichiarazione-video sul #terremoto.
— Matteo Renzi (@matteorenzi) August 24, 2016
Non lasceremo solo nessuno https://t.co/eIo0TWuW5k
Our graphics team have created slideover images to show before and after photographs from the towns worst hit.
Updated
Jon Henley, our European affairs correspondent, summarises the latest developments in this story:
At least 38 people have died and many more are missing after a powerful earthquake struck a string of towns and villages in a swath of mountainous central Italy, razing homes, buckling roads and burying residents under mounds of rubble.
The 6.2-magnitude quake struck at 3.36am when most people in the hardest-hit towns of Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto were asleep, and was felt as far away as Rome – more than 93 miles (150km) away – authorities and witnesses said.
Residents and emergency services struggled to free people from dozens of buildings that collapsed into piles of masonry in the communities closest to the epicentre of the quake, in a remote area straddling the regions of Umbria, Marche and Lazio.
A Sky News translator quoted Renzi saying:
Pulling people out of the rubble is difficult, but you can see how good civil protection workers have been. The work is carrying on and our priority is to get people out of the rubble.
In the afternoon I will visit the area and I will be involved with meetings with the authorities concerned: the head of the department for civil protection, and the minister for infrastructures and a great number of others.
At moments of difficulty Italy knows how to cope. And when things don’t go well, the whole of Italy demonstrates its most beautiful aspects. From now on we will make sure that we won’t leave any families or communes on their own. And it will really work, because in the next few hours we can save human lives from the rubble and give hope to those territories that have been so badly affected.
Updated
Renzi said he would visit the areas worst hit later today.
Italy’s prime minister, Matteo Renzi, is giving a TV address. According to a BBC translator he said now is the time to cry but also to act. He said no area would be left behind in the rescue efforts.
#terremoto +++ Renzi: nessuno sarà lasciato solo. Nessuna famiglia, nessun comune. Momento commozione e azione +++ pic.twitter.com/7uSBnTuGJf
— Rainews (@RaiNews) August 24, 2016
Updated
The US Geological Survey gave coordinates for the epicentre of the quake as 42.822°N 13.126°E, which is about two miles (4km) north-east of Norcia and 40km north of Amatrice.
Updated
The president of the European commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has written to Italy’s prime minister, Matteo Renzi, expressing solidarity and offering assistance.
We stand, as ever, in solidarity with the Italian nation and are ready to assist in any way we can. #ItalyEarthquake pic.twitter.com/l7yEZWrvth
— Jean-Claude Juncker (@JunckerEU) August 24, 2016
Updated
The official death toll has increased again and is expected to rise further, Reuters reports.
At least 38 people died in a powerful earthquake that hit central Italy early on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the civil protection department said.
The quake struck towns and villages in the mountainous heart of the country, which was making the rescue operation more difficult, said spokeswoman Immacolata Postiglione.
Speaking to journalists, Postiglione said 27 people had died between the towns of Accumoli and Amatrice, and a further 10 had died in the nearby Arquata area. Later in her press conference she upped the death toll to 38, without giving further details.
Rai News cited the same figure.
#terremoto Protezione civile aggiorna: 38 i morti, 10 ad Arquata del Tronto, 28 tra Amatrice e Accumoli @RaiNews
— Silvia Balducci (@silviabalducci) August 24, 2016
At least 37 dead
At least 37 people were killed in the earthquake, according to a spokeswoman for Italy’s civil protection agency quoted by Reuters.
The Italian news agency Aska News has footage of several people being rescued from the debris in Amatrice, one of the worst-hit towns.
The centre of the town was reduced to rubble as entire buildings collapsed, according to the Associated Press.
Rocks and metal tumbled on to the streets and dazed residents huddled in piazzas as some 39 aftershocks jolted the region into the early morning hours, some as strong as 5.1.
“The whole ceiling fell but did not hit me,” said resident Maria Gianni. “I just managed to put a pillow on my head and I wasn’t hit luckily, just slightly injured my leg.”
Another woman, sitting in front of her destroyed home with a blanket over her shoulders, said she didn’t know what had become of her loved ones.
“It was one of the most beautiful towns of Italy and now there’s nothing left,” she said, too distraught to give her name. “I don’t know what we’ll do.”
Updated
Images from Amatrice before and after the earthquake struck show the extent of the impact.
Updated
The Italian Red Cross has urged drivers to avoid using the Via Salaria, the main road north-east of Rome, so that rescue workers can reach the worst-hit areas.
#Terremoto, automobilisti invitati ad evitare di percorrere Via Salaria per permettere ai mezzi di soccorso di raggiungere le zone colpite.
— Croce Rossa Italiana (@crocerossa) August 24, 2016
Via Salaria, Rome
Updated
Nine people are confirmed dead in Accumoli, with at least three other people missing, the mayor has told Rai News. The official also said at least 2,000 have been left homeless.
#terremoto sindaco #Accumoli: 9 morti e 3-4 dispersi. Almeno 2.000 sfollati pic.twitter.com/Hehp5E04QI
— Rainews (@RaiNews) August 24, 2016
Updated
The clock on a tower in Amatrice stopped just after 3.35am when the earthquake struck.
Updated
The mayor of Accumoli confirms four dead and eight missing in the village, according to state broadcaster. Earlier it reported that six people had been killed in Accumoli.
NEWS/ #Terremoto: sindaco Accumoli, al momento 4 morti e 8 dispersi.
— Rai Radio1 (@Radio1Rai) August 24, 2016
Photograph: Staff/Reuters
Updated
Video has emerged showing the extent of the devastation in Pescara del Tronto, where at least 10 people were killed. It starts with an aerial view of the damage to the hill village, then cuts to views of rubble-strewn streets and ends with a team of officials discussing the rescue plan.
Updated
State broadcaster: 21 confirmed dead
State broadcaster Rai News reports 21 confirmed deaths. It reports that six people were killed in the nearby village of Accumoli. There are also 10 confirmed dead in Pescara del Tronto, north of the reported epicentre, and a further five in Amatrice.
The mayor of Amatrice said dozens had been killed in the town.
#terremoto bilancio provvisorio: 21 morti accertati. 10 a #PescaradelTronto 6 ad #Accumoli e 5 ad #Amatrice pic.twitter.com/Ol0IzAEQJw
— Rainews (@RaiNews) August 24, 2016
Updated
Pope Francis has thanked rescue workers and volunteers and invited everyone to join him in prayer for the victims, according to Rai News.
#terremoto +++ Papa: ringrazio questi volontari e uomini protezione civile e invito tutti a unirsi in preghiera +++ pic.twitter.com/dTVAPlauhJ
— Rainews (@RaiNews) August 24, 2016
Simona Mani lives in York but returned to her hometown of Acquasparta (about 90km west of epicentre) yesterday to visit her family on holiday. She gives this account:
“This was definitely the strongest experience of an earthquake I have ever had, as the epicentre was close to here and near the surface. My parents and I were abruptly awoken when we heard a loud noise and felt the house shake violently.
Some objects fell from the walls and we ran outside, as did many neighbours and most of the village. A typical quake here lasts just a few seconds, but in this case we woke up, ran out, talked to each other, and the earth kept shaking the whole time. It seems the quake lasted about 20 seconds, but it felt endless.
Fortunately our home was recently built and resistant to medium earthquakes. Our neighbours and the rest of the family also didn’t have any property damage. However, many other small villages around the area are really struggling at the moment. We hesitated going back into the house, and at about 4.30am there was an aftershock, a little less intense and shorter in time.
We kept feeling minor shakes until the early morning. Most of the people have gone back inside, but decided to sleep on the ground floors rather than their usual first floor bedrooms, so that they could escape quickly if another strong quake happened.
Some neighbours are looking for tents to sleep outside tonight, as there will probably be other aftershocks in the next few hours. Local research centres have recorded more than 50 shakes of various intensities.
We feel for the people of Accumoli, Amatrice, and all the areas that have been affected by buildings collapsing and we hope to be able to help as soon as possible.”
Updated
'Dozens of dead' in Amatrice
The mayor of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi, has told the Italian state broadcaster that there are “dozens of dead”. RAI News quoted him saying: “There are so many dead I cannot make an estimate. We have already extracted several dead bodies but we do not know how many there are there below.”
He added: “There are dozens of victims, many under the rubble, we are setting up a place for the bodies.”
NEWS/ #Terremoto: sindaco Amatrice, 'decine morti'.
— Rai Radio1 (@Radio1Rai) August 24, 2016
Updated
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Video, purported to be from Cornillo Vecchio, which is a few kilometres north of Amatrice shows cars covered in rubble.
Video from my father in law 5km from #Amatrice #ItalyEarthquake pic.twitter.com/k4ECDM05KZ
— rhysbearpig (@rhysbearpig) August 24, 2016
Aerial views of Amatrice suggest that the mayor was not exaggerating when he said “half of the town is gone”.
Updated
At least 10 dead
Both Reuters and AFP say at least 10 people were killed in the quake, citing local media. The national civil protection agency said it could not give an official toll as rescue efforts were still under way.
Deaths were reported in three villages in a mountainous area straddling the regions of Lazio and Marche: Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto.
“The situation is dramatic, there are many dead. I cannot give a toll for now because rescue efforts are under way and it is very, very difficult,” said the mayor of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi.
According to local officials, two people have been confirmed dead at Arquata, five at Amatrice and two in Accumoli with a number of people unaccounted for in all three locations.
Earlier, the Accumoli mayor, Stefano Petrucci, told RAI state broadcaster that a family of four had been buried when their house collapsed, adding that there was no indication they had survived.
RAI quoted police as saying two people were known to have died in the nearby village of Pescara del Tronto. Two bodies were removed from the debris in Amatrice.
Updated
A camper who gave his name as Jonquil describes being woken by the quake.
I was camping near Serramonacesca, about 100km south of epicentre. I was woken by a sensation similar to that of a giant taking hold of my tent and shaking it vigorously for about six seconds. It was followed by sound of falling rocks as mountainside in neighbouring valley collapses.
Updated
Dramatic images have emerged of a survivor being pulled from the rubble in Amatrice.
Updated
Britain’s Foreign Office has urged British citizens in the affected areas to follow the advice of the local authorities.
It said:
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck central Italy during the early hours of 24 August. The earthquake was also felt in Rome. If you are in the affected area, you should follow the advice of the local authorities. If you are in Italy, Civil Protection have activated a hotline 800840840 for information. To learn more about what to do before, during, and after an earthquake visit the Protezione Civile website
Updated
Local News says the earthquake was about 4km beneath Accumoli (Rieti), which is now almost inaccessible.
Here is Amatrice, 14km to the south of Accumoli, before and after the quake.
Updated
Tourists close to the epicentre described the panic after the quake.
Nick Mortimer told the Guardian:
We are a family of nine gathering for a 60th birthday celebration in a villa and accompanying cottage near Amandola. The quake and at least one aftershock caused us to run out of the buildings in a bit of a panic. The first quake caused major shaking of the buildings but no obvious damage. The aftershocks have continued but seem to be less severe over the last hour.
Renata Morioni said:
I am on holiday in my home village in the Marche region, a few kilometres away from Amatrice and the epicentre. I felt a very strong shaking at about 3am ... It went on for ages – then again about 1/2 hour or 45 min later. It was like 1997. Terrifying.
And David from Rome, wrote:
Hello. I am an expat living in Rome. I was woken by the quake, our building swayed for a very long 20/30 seconds. I was still awake for the second one. Scary.
Updated
As the morning gets under way in Italy, it seems the damage is worse than feared. This is from Reuters:
“Now that daylight has come, we see that the situation is even more dreadful than we feared with buildings collapsed, people trapped under the rubble and no sound of life,” said the mayor of Accumoli, Stefano Petrucci.
“Three-quarters of the town is not there anymore,” the Amatrice mayor, Sergio Pirozzi, told RAI. “The aim now is to save as many lives as possible. There are voices under the rubble, we have to save the people there.”
AFP said another two bodies had been pulled from the rubble, bringing the death toll to five.
Updated
Here’s more of what Rainews is continuing to report on the quake.
@RaiNews airing video of damage in #Amatrice #terremoto #earthquake pic.twitter.com/dqsIjCNgt1
— Carlos Suarez (@CarlosWPLG) August 24, 2016
Updated
It should be stressed that many of the first images coming through are from Amatrice, one of the towns close to the epicentre.
But a number of other local towns and municipalities have been affected. We’ll update you more as we hear from other parts of italy.
More images are coming through showing what appears to be the collapse of entire buildings. Rescue and search crews are being mobilised across the affected areas to begin searching through the rubble.
My colleague Michael Slezak has just sent through a useful explanation outlining what the US Geological Survey has assessed about the cause of the quake and extent of damage. Here’s what he sent through:
The US Geological Survey has reported the earthquake was a result of a “normal fault”, which occurs when one plate is pushed down over another one.
In this case, the Tyrrhenian basin – the area between Sicily and Sardeninia – is expanding, pushing Eurasia towards Africa faster than the Eurasian and African plates can compress.
At the location of the earthquake, the Eurasian plate moves north-east at about 24mm each year. Eventually the tension builds up, and is released as the plates slide over one another.
In this case, as has been reported, the first main quake was significant, being measured at magnitude 6.2.
It’s the largest there since April 2009 when a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit the same region, killing at least 295, injuring more than 1,000 and leaving at least 55,000 homeless. It resulted in significant landsliding in the local area, and was also followed by a vigorous aftershock sequence, including five other events of magnitude 5.0 or larger.
According to the US Geological Survey, the largest quake recorded in the area, of magnitude 6.7, took place on 13 January 1915, 68km to the south-southwest near Avezzano. It killed approximately 32,000 people.
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More images are emerging from Rainews in Italy showing the extent of damage. There appear to be a number of buildings that have collapsed, with cars strewn beneath rubble
#terremoto inviata #Amatrice #GrRai Francesca Malaguti: soccorritori a mani nude guidati da voci sotto macerie pic.twitter.com/sEeRktGhnr
— Rainews (@RaiNews) August 24, 2016
This is not the first time this region of Italy has been struck by a high intensity quake. Rieti, the epicentre of the quake, is only 60km from L’Aquila, where hundreds of people were killed in an earthquake in 2009.
More than 300 people died after a 6.3-magnitude tremor hit the capital of the mountainous Abruzzo region. The earthquake wrecked L’Aquila’s historic centre, injured more than 1,000 people and left tens of thousands homeless.
The disaster also sparked a long-running legal battle as a result of which some of Italy’s leading experts on natural disasters were convicted of giving false assurances about the risk of an earthquake in the region.
Three years after the quake, seven scientists from the National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks were found guilty of offering an unjustifiably optimistic assessment to the local population a week before the disaster. By then, the area had been hit by 400 tremors over a period of four months and a local researcher had warned of the risk of a major earthquake, largely on the basis of abnormal radon emissions.
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AFP is now reporting there has been a third confirmed death. Here’s its latest report:
The first two confirmed victims were an elderly couple whose home collapsed in Pescara del Tronto in the Marche region, east of the epicentre, according to national broadcaster Rai.
Another person died and a family of four including two young children were trapped, feared dead, in their collapsed house in Accumoli, a village close to the epicentre, according to its mayor.
“We have a tragedy here,” Stefano Petrucci told Rai. “For the moment one death is confirmed but there are another four people under the rubble and they are not responding.
“It is a disaster, we have no light, no telephones, the rescue services have not got here yet.”
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I’ve just spoken with Helen Miller, who lives near the quake region about one-and-a-half hours from Accumoli. The quake was clearly felt where she lives in Saint Angelo in Pontano. Here’s what she said earlier:
I am in Sant Angelo in Pontano, Le Marche, where I live, about one-and-a-half hours from Accumoli over the mountains. The dogs have been barking since it happened. I went out to find my horses as soon as the first earthquake struck, they were wild-eyed and afraid, on high-alert. The second quake happened and they took off at speed.
When the first quake struck felt as thought the house would burst and the shakes continue now. Even here people were standing in the streets, dazed, you just don’t know how close it is, what might come next. The aftershocks go on now, as they did with L’Aquila. I know it will be bad up there on the mountains and people are trapped, and animals will be trapped as shelters collapse.
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Here’s more images of rescue crews in Amatrice, where the damage to buildings and infrastructure appears to be extensive based on reports coming through.
Rescue crews needed in #Amatrice, reports people trapped. Area roads in bad shape. (📷: @GuiliaCiarapix/@Umbria24) pic.twitter.com/e43CDpupGp
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) August 24, 2016
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Reports of two deaths and four trapped in rubble
The first reports are beginning to emerge of injuries and deaths from towns close to the epicentre of the earthquake in Italy.
Reuters is reporting that police in Pescara have said two people have died, while a number of others are trapped under rubble. Here’s the key parts of their report:
A strong earthquake brought down buildings in central Italy early on Wednesday, trapping residents and sending others fleeing into the streets, with at least six people believed killed.
The worst hit towns were believed to be Accumoli, Amatrice, Posta and Arquata del Tronto, Fire department spokesman Luca Cari told Reuters, adding that helicopters would be sent up at first light to assess the damage.
The mayor of Accumoli said a number of buildings had been badly damaged. “Four people are under the rubble, but they are not showing any sign of life. Two parents and two children,” Stefano Petrucci told RAI television.
RAI quoted police as saying two people were known to have died in the nearby village of Pescara del Tronto.
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Pictures beginning to emerge from Amatrice in central Italy are showing some of the devastation caused by the quake. Here’s some of the first images we’ve received.
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Italian news network Rainews is broadcasting footage of the aftermath of the earthquake. There’s substantial debris from the footage we can see, posted by other users watching the broadcast on Twitter.
#terremoto first footages on @rainews pic.twitter.com/x1aKggbeG1
— G. Lasconjarias (@GLasconjarias) August 24, 2016
A number of images are beginning to surface from areas affected by the quake. The Umbria 24 news network has published a number of photos that show damage to buildings, tunnels and the evacuation of residents:
#terremoto Crolli lungo strada per Norcia. Mandateci le vostre foto dall'Umbria a redazione@umbria24.it o sui social pic.twitter.com/4zNvLEzkOD
— Umbria 24 (@Umbria24) August 24, 2016
#terremoto Paura in tutta l' #Umbria . Persone che dormono in strada (nella foto a #Norcia ) pic.twitter.com/8QbkSapQoK
— Umbria 24 (@Umbria24) August 24, 2016
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One of the towns where reports have first emerged of damage is Amatrice, in central Italy. The epicentre of the quake is Rieti, approximately 170km (105 miles) from Rome. Here’s a map outlining where the quake has struck:
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We’ve just published our first report on the quake. Here’s an excerpt that outlines the key points:
An earthquake recorded at magnitude 6.2 has struck central Italy, with reports of extensive damage, people trapped, others fleeing into the streets and blackouts near the epicentre.
The mayor of the small town of Amatrice said residents were buried under debris and the town “isn’t here any more”.
The US Geological Survey said the quake hit near the town of Norcia in the region of Umbria at 3.36am. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre put the magnitude at 6.1 and said the epicentre was north-east of Rome, near Rieti.
Sergio Pirozzi, the mayor in Amatrice, near Rieti, reported extensive damage. “Half the town is gone,” he told RAI state television. “There are people under the rubble … There’s been a landslide and a bridge might collapse.”
Italy’s civil protection agency said the earthquake was “severe”. Fire department spokesman Luca Cari said “there have been reports of victims” in the quake zone, but he did not have any precise details.
Updated
An earthquake with a 6.2 magnitude has struck central Italy, with reports emerging of widespread damage across a number of towns.
We’ll have rolling coverage of events as we receive news of the impact on towns. Here’s a short summary of what we know so far:
- A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck near the town of Norcia at 3:36am this morning, according to the US Geological Survey. A number of aftershocks have also been recorded.
- The mayor of a nearby town Amatrice reportedly told RAI state television that “half the town is gone”. He said there are people caught under the rubble.
- Italy’s civil protection agency described the earthquake as “severe”. At the moment it is unclear whether any people have been injured or how severe they are.
We’ll update you as we know more.
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