Strong earthquake strikes central Italy, atleast 5 dead

Rome : At least five people lost their lives after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck central Italy on Wednesday morning. One mayor reported a family of four trapped under the debris without signs of life and another said simply: “The town isn’t here anymore.”

Key Notes:

# An earthquake of 6.1 magnitude struck Rome and Central Italy at around 3:34am, followed by several aftershocks.

# First images of damage show debris on streets after several buildings collapsed.

# The hardest-hit towns were reported as Amatrice and Accumoli near Rieti, with residents running into the streets as aftershocks continued into the early morning hours.

# The European Mediterranean Seismological Center put the magnitude at 6.1.

# The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.2 with the epicentre at Norcia, about 170 km northeast of Rome, and with a relatively shallow depth of 10 km.

# In 2009, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the same region and killed more than 300 people.