10 dead, half of Italian town of Amatrice gone in magnitude 6.2 earthquake

A powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook the Italian town of Amatrice on Wednesday morning, killing at least 10 people. It also leveled half of the town as hundreds are feared trapped underthe rubble.

The tremor is estimated to have struck after 3:30 am at a depth of 6 miles. It was felt across a large part of central Italy, including capital city Rome. Residents in affected area felt a long swaying, followed by aftershocks, reports The Telegraph.

Buildings collapsed in Amatrice’s town centre and power outage hit the town, frustrating Sergio Perozzi, mayor of the beleaguered Italian town, who could not reach the hospital or emergency transponders. He adds there has been a landslide and a bridge collapsed.

The US Geological Survey says the epicenter of the magnitude 6.2 temblor is at Norcia, 105 miles northwest of Rome. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre estimates the magnitude at 6.1

The Australian says other Italian towns badly damaged by the earthquake are Posta, Accumoli and Aequate del Tronto, all located near the epicenter. Italian regions affected are Umbria, Lazio and Marche.

Access for emergency services was hampered by the collapse of one bridge, making access for emergency services difficult. The town’s hospital was also badly damaged.

In Accumoli, Mayor Stefano Petrucci told RAI that when the sun rose, they could see the extent of the damage the tremor has caused as edifices collapsed, trapping people underneath rubbles. He says a family of four in Accumoli are feared buried after their house collapsed. Residents were seen digging with their bare hands in an attempt to rescue the family as they hear the scream of the mother and one of her children.

VIDEO: Terremoto danno Amatrice Italia earthquake Rome Italy CCTV (24 agosto 2016)

Source: BOM BO