Earthquake hits central Italy with deadly force

A magnitude 6.3 quake hit an ancient town on Monday morning, killing at least 50.

Travel Insurance News - 09/04/2009

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Historic building and thousands of homes collapsed in the earthquake, leaving countless area residents homeless, amid fears of a rising death toll as rescuers searched through the rubble looking for survivors.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi declared a state of emergency in the area after flying in to inspect the damage. L’Aquila, the centre of the quake zone, is a 13th century city located around 70 miles from Rome.

The earthquake struck the historic city at 3:32am local time, after at least nine smaller tremors had hit the region since the beginning of the month.

The mayor of L'Aquila, Massimo Cialente, noted that more than one hundred thousand residents had left their homes and that the historic centre had been heavily damaged.

Debris, including steel from buildings and large chunks of concrete, filled streets and sidewalks and covered cars. Fire fighters worked with tracker dogs searching for people trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings – including a university dormitory, where it was thought that students may have been trapped inside.

Castelnuovo, a nearby town, suffered extensive damage as well. Five deaths were confirmed and rescue workers joined local residents searching for survivors in the ruins of collapsed buildings.

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