The death toll from a devastating earthquake that hit and flattened central Italian towns has soared to more than 240 as rescuers desperately searched through the night for survivors under the ruins of collapsed buildings.
With 368 people injured, some critically, and an unknown number still trapped in mountains of rubble on Thursday morning, the toll was expected to rise further.
Wednesday’s pre-dawn earthquake razed homes and buckled roads in a cluster of mountain communities 140km east of Italy’s capital, Rome. It was powerful enough to be felt in Bologna to the north and Naples to the south, each more than 200km from the epicenter.
The US Geological Survey said it was a 6.2 magnitude quake that hit near the town of Norcia, in the region of Umbria.
Besides Amatrice, the worst-hit towns were believed to be Accumoli, Posta and Arquata del Tronto, Luca Cari, fire department spokesman, told Reuters news agency, adding that helicopters would be sent up at first light to assess the damage.
Guido Bordo, 69, said that the holiday house of his sister and her husband near Accumoli died under their collapsed holiday house.
“I was not here. As soon as the quake happened, I rushed here. They managed to pull my sister’s children out, they’re in hospital now,” said.
A hostel on the Gran Sasso Mountain, a popular area for hikers and climbers, said on its Facebook page that a large piece of rock had collapsed as a result of the tremor.