Earthquake Hit Italy, Whole Town Destroyed
Italy has been struck by a fierce 6.2 magnitude earthquake, leaving at least two people dead.
Residents fled in their numbers into the streets of numerous towns and cities when the powerful quake struck early on Wednesday, causing buildings to collapse.
The US Geological Survey confirmed it was a 6.2 magnitude quake that hit near the town of Norcia, in the region of Umbria, at 3.36am (1.36am GMT).
Sergio Pirozzi, the mayor of the mini town of Amatrice enumerated extensive damage.
"Half the town is gone,"
"There are people under the rubble... There's been a landslide and a bridge might collapse."
People remain trapped under the rubble, the mayor lamented.
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.
The most devastated towns were listed to be Accumoli, Amatrice, Posta and Arquata del Tronto, Cari said, adding that helicopters would be sent up at first light to assess the damage.
"It was so strong. It seemed the bed was walking across the room by itself with us on it," Lina Mercantini of Ceselli, Umbria, told Reuters.
Olga Urbani, in the nearby town of Scheggino, also lamentend: "Dear God it was awful. The walls creaked and all the books fell off the shelves."
Residents of Rome, some 170 km (105 miles) from the registered epicentre, were woken by the quake, which rattled furniture and swayed lights in most of central Italy.
A 5.5 magnitude aftershock hit the same region an hour after the initial quake.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's spokesman said on Twitter that the government was in touch with the country's civil protection agency and following the situation closely.
The last major earthquake to hit Italy struck the central city of L'Aquila in 2009, killing more than 300 people.
A refuge on the Gran Sasso mountain, a popular area for hikers and climbers, said on its Facebook page that a large piece of rock had collapsed in Wednesday's quake.
The whole town destroyed, see photo:
