Italian earthquake: more than 150 dead, Silvio Berlusconi confirms
By Richard Holt and Gordon Rayner
Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, has confirmed that more than 150 people were killed and 1,500 injured in the earthquake which hit central Italy in the early hours of Monday morning.
Italian earthquake: more than 150 dead, Silvio Berlusconi confirms
Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, has confirmed that more than 150 people were killed and 1,500 injured in the earthquake which hit central Italy in the early hours of Monday morning.
By Richard Holt and Gordon Rayner
Last Updated: 11:38PM BST 06 Apr 2009
Previous1 of 5 ImagesNext Firefighters search for survivors through the rubble of a collapsed building in L'Aquila Photo: AP
Photo: AP
Rescuers sift through the wreckage of a house in Onna, central Italy Photo: REUTERS
A street is damaged following the earthquake which hit early in L'Aquila, central Italy Photo: EPA
More than 5,000 rescue workers continued the search for survivors into a second night after the 6.3 magnitude quake hit the Abruzzo region at 3.32am on Monday.
After working in heavy rain during the day, the rescuers scoured collapsed buildings in the medieval town of L'Aquila, the regional capital at the epicentre of the earthquake. Emergency services said 60 people had been pulled alive from the rubble.
Expert's earthquake warnings dismissed as scaremongering Up to 50,000 people have been left homeless in the town, around 60 miles north-east of Rome, and in the surrounding villages, with up to 15,000 buildings destroyed or damaged beyond repair.
Mr Berlusconi declared a state of emergency in the region and cancelled a trip to Russia in order to visit L'Aquila.
He said 30 million euros (£27m) had been earmarked to help the region. [SNIP]