Dozens dead in a 6.2-magnitude earthquake in central Italy

Dozens of people were killed after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck towns in central Italy on Wednesday. The death toll will likely increase as many people are trapped under the rubble, according to the Associated Press. At first, the earthquake struck the town of Norcia in the Umbria region, some 170 kilometers from Rome, at 3:36 a.m. on Wednesday. The damage was more severe as the initial quake was shallow and occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers, which was even felt in Rome as residents of Rome reported shaking of buildings. The initial quake was followed by several aftershocks.

The hardest-hit towns are believed to be Amatrice and Accumoli, small cities near Rieti, about 80 kilometers northeast of Rome. Rieti is only 60 kilometers from L'Aquila where the latest 6.3-magnitude earthquake killed 300 people and injured more than 1,000 people in 2009. “Half of the town is disappeared, roads and bridges are damaged and land is distorted,” Amatrice Mayor Sergio Pirozzi told state-run RAI television. “Three-quarters of the town does not exist there anymore,” Accumoli Mayor Stefano Petrucci said. “I can hear voice of people trapped under the rubble and we have to rescue them immediately.”

According to RAI television, an elderly couple died after their home collapsed in del Tronto. “Already one died and a family of four, including two children, is trapped and feared dead in their collapsed home,” said the Accumoli mayor. “There is no light and telephone.” As dawn breaks, rescue works followed by rescuers and civil defense members. Residents and even priests began digging out with shovels and bare hands to search for victims and survivors crushed after the quake.

파리=동정민특파원 ditto@donga.com