Death toll continues to rise following earthquake in central Italy
As rescue teams using bulldozers and their bare hands clawed through piles of rubble, authorities warned that the death toll is likely to rise.
Sixty three people already died and dozens more were missing or feared dead Wednesday after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake and a series of aftershocks struck several towns in central Italy, Wednesday morning (Philippine time).
The magnitude 6.2 quake hit at 03:36 (01:36 GMT), 100km (65 miles) north-east of Rome, not far from Perugia.
According Civil Protection Agency of Italy, at least 35 were killed in the town of Amatrice, 11 in Accumoli, near Rieti, about 80 miles northeast of Rome, and another in the province of Ascoli Piceno, which includes Pescara del Tronto.
Mayor Sergio Pirozzi, the mayor of Amatrice, said that rescue teams are trying to reach all 69 hamlets around his town.
“Half of the town doesn’t exist anymore,” Pirozzi added. “People are stuck underneath the rubble. Houses are no longer there.”
Several buildings collapsed and lights went out after the earthquake, Pirozzi said. He said he had trouble communicating with emergency responders and couldn’t reach the hospital. The center of Amatrice was devastated and homes collapsed on residents as they slept.
“The whole ceiling fell but did not hit me,” resident Maria Gianni shared. “I just managed to put a pillow on my head and I wasn’t hit luckily, just slightly injured my leg.”
Police near the town of Ascoli said they could hear cries for help from under the rubble but lacked the heavy equipment to move the rocks.
The local hospital was also badly hit, forcing the wounded and stretcher-bearers to gather in front of the building. Ambulances then transferred patients to other towns.
Some buildings in the capital shook for 20 seconds as the quake struck the regional border area of Umbria, Lazio and Le Marche. It was felt from Bologna in the north of Italy to Naples in the south. Some 80 aftershocks have been reported since.
Search parties sifted through the rubble in various towns and villages as the sun rose. It became clear for some officials that the extent of the damage was worse than they initially thought.
“Now that daylight has come, we see that the situation is even more dreadful than we feared with buildings collapsed, people trapped under the rubble and no sound of life,” Stefano Pertucci, mayor of Accumoli mayor, said.
“We need chain saws, shears to cut iron bars, and jacks to remove beams: everything, we need everything,” civil protection worker Andrea Gentili said.