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Agencies

Some 100km northeast of Rome, the town of Amatrice is devastated, with entire buildings razed and the air thick with dust and smelling strongly of gas.
“The town isn’t here anymore,” said Mayor Sergio Pirozzi.
Home of amatriciana, one of Italy’s favourite pasta sauces, Amatrice is a popular destination for Romans seeking cool mountain air at the height of the summer.

It was packed with visitors when the quake struck at 3.36am.
Three minutes later the clock on the village’s 13th-century tower stopped.
Rocks and metal tumbled onto 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.
Central Italy struck by magnitude 6.2 quake, destroying towns, killing dozens, many missing
“The whole ceiling fell but did not hit me,” marvelled 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.”

As daylight dawned, residents, civil protection workers and even priests began digging out with shovels, bulldozers and their bare hands, trying to reach survivors. There was relief as a woman was pulled out alive from one building, followed by a dog.
“We need chain saws, shears to cut iron bars, and jacks to remove beams: everything, we need everything,” civil protection worker Andrea Gentili said.
“The aim now is to save as many lives as possible. There are voices under the rubble, we have to save the people there,” Pirozzi told state broadcaster RAI. He estimated dozens of residents were buried under collapsed buildings and that heavy equipment was needed to clear streets clogged with debris.
A strong earthquake struck central Italy early Wednesday, at least 10 dead


The hospital in Amatrice was among the buildings that were badly damaged, and patients were moved into the streets.
Aerial footage showed whole areas of Amatrice, voted last year as one of Italy’s most beautiful historic towns, flattened by the quake.
The devastation harked back to the 2009 quake that killed more than 300 people in and around L’Aquila, about 90km south. L’Aquila sent emergency teams on Wednesday to help with the rescue.
“It’s all young people here, it’s holiday season, the town festival was to have been held tomorrow (Friday) so lots of people came for that,” said local resident Giancarlo, sitting in the road wearing just his underwear.
“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,” he said.

The disaster has been keeping the local clergy busy.
“I don’t know what to say. We are living this immense tragedy,” said the Reverend Savino D’Amelio, a local parish priest. “We are only hoping there will be the least number of victims possible and that we all have the courage to move on.”
Another priest, Reverend Fabio Gammarota, said he had blessed seven bodies extracted so far. “One was a friend of mine,” he said.
Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Reuters


Small town coming to terms with major destruction following central Italy quake

The ruins of Amatrice Italy, Wednesday, on August 24, 2016. Photo: AP

Aerial view of Amatrice in central Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, as it appears after a magnitude 6 quake struck at 3:36 a.m. (0136 GMT) and was felt across a broad swath of central Italy, including Rome where residents of the capital felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

A woman holds a child as they stand in the street following an earthquake, in Amatrice, Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. The magnitude 6 quake struck at 3:36 a.m. (0136 GMT) and was felt across a broad swath of central Italy, including Rome where residents of the capital felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

A clock is stopped at the time when an earthquake struck central Italy, in Amatrice Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. The magnitude 6 quake struck at 3:36 a.m. (0136 GMT) and was felt across a broad swath of central Italy, including Rome where residents of the capital felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

Deadly Italy earthquake kills 159 as hundreds missing in flattened towns

A body is carried away by rescuers following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy. Photo: Reuters

Rescuers carry a person on a stretcher following a quake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

This aerial view shows the damage in the town of Amatrice, central Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016 following an earthquake. A strong earthquake rocked central Italy early Wednesday, collapsing homes on top of residents as they slept. (Italian Firefighters Vigili del Fuoco via AP)

The interior of a house is seen after a quake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Rescuers search for survivors amidst collapsed buildings following an earthquake, in Pescara del Tronto, Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. The magnitude 6 quake struck at 3:36 a.m. (0136 GMT) and was felt across a broad swath of central Italy, including Rome where residents of the capital felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks. (Cristiano Chiodi/ANSA via AP)

A woman (2nd L) cries after been rescued from her home following a quake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Pope Francis reads his condolences for the victims of the earthquake in central Italy during his weekly general audience on August 24, 2016 in St Peter's square at the Vatican / AFP PHOTO / VINCENZO PINTO

This still image taken from video shows the center of Amatrice, central Italy, where a 6.1 earthquake struck just after 3:30 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. The quake was felt across a broad section of central Italy, including the capital Rome where people in homes in the historic center felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks. (AP Photo)

An elderly man is given assistance as collapsed buildings are seen in the background following an earthquake, in Amatrice, Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. The magnitude 6 quake struck at 3:36 a.m. (0136 GMT) and was felt across a broad swath of central Italy, including Rome where residents of the capital felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A woman is pulled out of the rubble following an earthquake in Amatrice Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. The magnitude 6 quake struck at 3:36 a.m. (0136 GMT) and was felt across a broad swath of central Italy, including Rome where residents of the capital felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

A man is pulled out of the rubble following an earthquake in Amatrice Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. The magnitude 6 quake struck at 3:36 a.m. (0136 GMT) and was felt across a broad swath of central Italy, including Rome where residents of the capital felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

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