Italy saw a major natural calamities in recent years as earthquake shacked the central part of the country and left at least 73 people dead, buildings collapsed in several towns as residents slept. One of the Mayor reported that a family of four was trapped under the debris without any sign of life while another said, “The town isn’t here anymore.”
Many are still missing and feared dead as people are buried under rubble.
An earthquake of the 6.1 magnitude which struck at 3.36 a.m. local time was felt across central Italy, including the capital Rome, where residents felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks.
First images of damage showed debris in the street and some collapsed buildings in towns and villages that dot much of the Umbrian countryside.
The most affected cities are Amatrice and Accumoli near Rieti, with residents running into the streets as aftershocks continued into the early morning hours. With the first light of the morning residents and government civil protection workers began resque operation for the ill fated residents huddled in the open streets.
Drone footage shows the aftermath of Italy’s devastating earthquake that’s left at least 73 dead (video: @Reuters) pic.twitter.com/QFmKzBo6yq
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) August 24, 2016
'Voices under the rubble': Earthquake devastates string of mountain towns in Italy https://t.co/P1r9V2MNnL pic.twitter.com/6EdTG3sp2c
— Times of India (@timesofindia) August 24, 2016
How you can help the victims of the earthquake in Italy: https://t.co/XUf3PPJVcD pic.twitter.com/cyAsHky1dc
— CNN International (@cnni) August 24, 2016
Towns across 3 regions in Italy were devastated by a powerful earthquake. Photos: https://t.co/mETGTCLMwV pic.twitter.com/pZZjmi5OEV
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 24, 2016