Earthquake in Italy
Why
At least 90 people are believed dead and tens of thousands homeless after an earthquake hit L'Aquila and other towns in central Italy, rescuers say. About 1,500 people were injured and many people are still missing as rescuers search desperately for survivors trapped beneath rubble. The 6.3-magnitude quake struck at 0330 (0130 GMT) close to L'Aquila. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is in the city, has promised a "record number of rescuers". "Nobody has been left on their own," he said, adding that a field hospital was being set up to help local medical services. Earlier, he declared a state of emergency. Altogether, 26 cities and towns have been damaged, officials say. In L'Aquila, 95km (60 miles) north-east of Rome, between 3,000 and 10,000 buildings in the medieval city may have been damaged. Between 30,000 and 40,000 people are believed to have lost their homes and the authorities are working to find them shelter before nightfall. The BBC's Duncan Kennedy in L'Aquila described bemused and confused locals wrapped in blankets and carrying their personal belongings in suitcases walking, like a stream of refugees, through the devastation. The rescue service is stretched to breaking point as it tries to reach all the devastated buildings and deal with the mounting casualty toll, our correspondent adds. Earlier, the mayor of L'Aquila, Massimo Cialente, said some 100,000 people had left their homes. A university dormitory, churches and a bell tower are believed to be among the buildings that had collapsed. Many residents and rescuers used their bare hands to clear the debris from collapsed buildings, although the army and civil protection units from around Italy are joining the effort. Survivors, some still in their night clothes, hugged each other as they waited for news of friends and relatives. Hundreds waited at the city's main hospital, where doctors were forced to treat people in the open air because only one operating room was functioning. Francesco Rocca of the Italian Red Cross said two field hospitals were arriving from Rome, but warned of the difficulties ahead. "The biggest problem will arrive in the night because there are thousands and thousands of people that we have to host in tents, in the hotels," he told the BBC. Deaths were reported in the surrounding towns and villages of Castelnuovo, Poggio Picenze, Tormintarte, Fossa, Totani and Villa Sant'Angelo. But it is feared the toll could rise further as rescuers try to reach the many outlying villages and homes in the quake zone. Phone and power lines remain down, and some bridges and roads have been closed as a precaution as the region was hit by a series of aftershocks.
Search Terms:
italy earthquake, italy earthquake 2009, italy news, l aquila, l aquila earthquake
References:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7985248.stm,http://www.gmanews.tv/story/155840/Filipino-among-injured-in-strong-Italy-earthquake,http://www.colombopage.com/archive_09/April6130948RA.html,http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_33510.aspx,http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7984867.stm
