Several Italian towns reported razed, at least 73 dead in 'severe' earthquake

Rescuers dig through rubble in Arquata del Tronto, Italy, after major quake

(Image credit: Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)

last updated 24 August 2016

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake that rocked central Italy early Wednesday morning has killed at least 73 people and destroyed buildings in several towns in the provinces of Lazio and Umbria, according to Italian officials. "Half the town no longer exists," Sergio Pirozzi, mayor of Amatrice, said on national TV. "There are people stuck in the rubble.... Houses are no longer there." Damage and power outages were also reported as far away as Italy's east coast and in coastal Lazio, south of Rome. Along with Amatrice, the towns of Accumoli and Norcia were also badly damaged.

The epicenter of the shallow quake, identified as a 6.2 magnitude temblor by the U.S. Geological Survey and 6.1 by the European Mediterranean Seismological Center, was about 100 miles northeast of Rome. Buildings shook for about 20 seconds in Italy's capital. Fabrizio Curcio, director of Italy's Civil Protection Department, said that the overnight earthquake had been "severe" and that Italy has initiated its emergency protocols. More than 300 people were killed in a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in central Italy in 2009.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox