120 killed in Italy earthquake

No fewer than 120 people were killed and 368 injured in an earthquake that hit a mountainous area of central Italy.

 The magnitude-6.2 quake struck at 03:36 (01:36 GMT), 100km (65 miles) north-east of Rome, not far from Perugia.

Many of the dead were in the historic town of Amatrice, where the mayor said three-quarters of the town was destroyed, and in nearby Accumoli.

Many people were still believed to be buried under rubble last night.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi warned: “This is not a final toll.,”

He paid tribute to the volunteers and civil defence officials who rushed to the scene in the middle of the night and used their bare hands to dig for survivors.

He promised “no family, no city, no hamlet will be left behind”.

The tremor was felt across Italy, from Bologna in the north to Naples in the south. There have been dozens of aftershocks.

Hardest hit were the small towns and villages in the mountainous area where the regions of Umbria, Lazio and Le Marche meet.

In Amatrice at least 35 people have been killed, according to Italian news agency Ansa.

In Accumoli, 11 people are known to have been killed, including a mother, father and their two young sons. Mayor Stefano Petrucci told Ansa that not a house in the town was fit for habitation, and they would have to set up tents to house everyone.

In the villages of Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto, 17 people have died, according to Ansa. Almost all houses in Pescara del Tronto have collapsed, the local mayor said.

Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said it had recorded more than 200 aftershocks by 15:00 (13:00 GMT) yesterday.

The country is no stranger to earthquakes: in 2009 a tremor killed more than 300 people in L’Aquila and in May 2012 two tremors nine days apart killed more than 20 people in the northern Emilia Romagna region.

Rescue teams from around the country have been sent to the affected region.

The area is mountainous and access is difficult. Tent camps are being set up for those who need shelter, while others will be accommodated in buildings such as gymnasiums.

Many of the people affected are on holiday.

The national blood donation service has appealed for donors to come forward.

Quakes are an ever-present danger for those who live along the Apennine mountain range in Italy.

Through the centuries thousands have died as a result of tremors equal to, or not much bigger than, the event that struck in the early hours of yesterday. The modern response, thankfully, has been more robust building and better preparation.

Mediterranean seismicity is driven by the great collision between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates; but when it comes down to the specifics of this latest quake, the details are far more complicated.

The Tyrrhenian Basin, or Sea, which lies to the west of Italy, between the mainland and Sardinia/Corsica, is slowly opening up.

Scientists say this is contributing to extension, or “pull-apart”, along the Apennines. This stress is compounded by movement in the east, in the Adriatic.

The result is a major fault system that runs the length of the mountain range with a series of smaller faults that fan off to the sides. The foundations of cities like Perugia and L’Aquila stand on top of it all.

Sniffer dogs were being sent into buildings to search for more survivors in Amatrice, according to a BBC report.

In Accumoli, a short distance to the north of Amatrice, Mayor Stefano Petrucci said a family of four, including two small children, were missing under a collapsed house.

A local photographer spoke of 15 rescuers digging with bare hands to try to reach the family.

“They can hear the screams of the mum and one of the children,” he said.

Rescuers were also trying to dig out a 58-year-old man trapped in his home.

Pope Francis replaced his weekly catechesis in St. Peter’s Square with a heartfelt address on the unfolding tragedy.

“Hearing the mayor of Amatrice say that the town no longer exists, and learning there are children among the dead, I am deeply saddened,” the Pope said.

Thanking “all volunteers and rescue personnel assisting these people,” the Pope asked the people gathered in Rome to join him in a prayer for the “brokenhearted,” who suffered losses in the wake of the 6.2 magnitude quake that struck at 3:36 a.m. as most residents slept inside their homes.

“With Jesus, let our hearts be moved with compassion,” the Pope said.

“I cannot fail but to express my heartfelt sorrow and spiritual closeness to all those in those zones afflicted,” he added, offering “condolences to those who have lost love ones and my spiritual support to those who are anxious and afraid.”