A Devastating Earthquake Hits Central Italy

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake has hit central Italy, leaving 38 people dead and counting. 150 people are missing from the disaster and rescuers are searching for survivors.

The majority of the deceased are being found in Accumoli, near the epicentre, while the village of Pescara del Tronto was pummelled with dead being found there as well.

The quake struck at shallow depths, but is being compared to the Aquila earthquake in April 2009 in which 309 people died. Rescuers and volunteers arrived in the middle of the night to start locating survivors, digging through rubble with their bare hands.

Reports of how long the quake lasted vary, as the BBC reports some buildings shook for about 20 seconds. According to Davide Zaccaretti, the quake last for almost two minutes and that they were ‘endless minutes of terror.’

While hundreds of people were injured during the earthquake, 11 people were reported dead in the neighboring villages of Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto. 28 deaths have been reported so far in the villages of Accumoli and Amatrice.

Sergio Pirozzi, the Mayor of Amatrice, went into detail with the BBC regarding the town’s state after the earthquake:

The 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. There are tens of victims, so many under the rubble. We’re preparing a place for the bodies.

This is a developing story, but more details about the earthquake can be read here.

Our deepest condolences for the families of the deceased and missing.

[H/T BBC]