DEATH TOLL RISES AS 6.2 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE SHAKES ITALY

DEATH TOLL RISES AS 6.2 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE SHAKES ITALY

Mayor: 'The roads in and out of town are cut off. Half the town is gone'

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked a swath of central Italy and destroyed four small villages popular with tourists early Wednesday, burying residents under rubble as they slept and killing at least 63 people, including two infants. More than 100 are missing and believed to be trapped under the debris.

The temblor hit at 3:36 a.m. local time near Norcia, 50 miles southeast of Perugia, and was felt more than 100 miles away in Rome. As many as 39 aftershocks jolted the region into the early morning hours, some as strong as 5.1.

Among the hardest hit towns was Amatrice, a village of 2,000 north of Italy’s Lazio region, with entire palazzos razed to the ground. Aerial images from the fire department showed whole streets flattened.

Map showing where Italy quake struck.

“The town isn’t here anymore,” said Mayor Sergio Pirozzi.

“The whole ceiling fell, but did not hit me,” said resident Maria Gianni. “I just managed to put a pillow on my head and I wasn’t hit luckily, just slightly injured my leg.”

The village of Amatrice was wiped out by earthquake.

“It was one of the most beautiful towns of Italy and now there’s nothing left,” said another survivor. “I don’t know what we’ll do.”

As dawn broke, residents, rescuers and even priests used shovels, bulldozers and even their bare hands to try to reach survivors.

“We need chain saws, shears to cut iron bars, and jacks to remove beams: everything, we need everything,” civil protection worker Andrea Gentili told The Associated Press.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Italians “show their best side in difficult moments,” telling reporters: “We must continue to work and to dig through the debris in order to save human lives and give hope to all those involved in the area.”

Italy’s president Sergio Mattarella described the tragedy as a “moment of pain” for the country.

“We are not going to leave any family alone from any district,” he said. “We are going to work because in the next few hours we must continue to bring people alive from beneath the rubble, and bring hope to that territory.”

“In difficult times, Italy knows what to do.”

The mountainside town of Pescara del Tronto is in ruins.

Pope Francis postponed his weekly catechesis and then led pilgrims in prayer in St. Peter’s Square. The pontiff tweeted of his “sorrow” about the disaster.

“I also express my condolences to those who have lost loved ones, and my spiritual support to those who are anxious and afraid. Hearing the mayor of Amatrice say that the town no longer exists, and learning that there are children among the dead, I am deeply saddened.”

The U.S. State Department is asking Americans in Italy to let their families know they’re safe.

Italy sits on two fault lines, making it one of the most seismically active countries in Europe.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/08/6-2-magnitude-earthquake-shakes-italy/#3ROUtQIHRHIsk6SX.99