Italian rescuers hunt survivors as quake kills 179

L'AQUILA, Italy Rescuers raced against time to find survivors from a powerful earthquake that killed at least 179 people in central Italy and left tens of thousand homeless.
Rescue workers in the medieval walled city of L'Aquila said that more than 24 hours after the quake struck in the early hours of Monday morning 34 people were still reported missing.

Some 1,500 were injured in the quake of magnitude 6.2 that damaged some 10,000 buildings, many beyond repair, leaving up to 70,000 people homeless, according to a government estimate.

Of the 179 dead, 39 were in the tiny nearby town of Onna, which had a population of around 250, the ANSA news agency said.

More than 100 people have been pulled alive from the rubble of collapsed dwellings in towns around L'Aquila, capital of the Abruzzo region.

The epicentre was under L'Aquila and massive destruction was reported for 30 kilometres (20 miles) in all directions from the town. The nearby villages of Villa Sant'Angelo and Borgo di Castelnuovo were practically wiped out.

Many residents fled L'Aquila, some even on foot. Others were lucky enough to find shelter in army barracks, stadiums and sports centres as overnight temperatures dipped.

The national geophysical institute recorded 280 aftershocks had been recorded since the main quake at 3:32 am (0132 GMT) Monday morning, ANSA said.


Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi declared a state of emergency in the Abruzzo region and cancelled a trip to Russia in order to visit L'Aquila, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of Rome.

He said an initial 30 million euros (US$40 million) had been earmarked to help the region.

"No one will be abandoned to his fate," he vowed, adding that a tent village was being set up that could accommodate between 16,000 and 20,000 people.

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni pledged 1,700 additional rescuers, including 1,500 firefighters.

He said rescue efforts would continue working "day and night", while rescue workers in L'Aquila toiled overnight under giant lights.

But much of the town was quiet in the evening as most residents had left.

"You can say that most of the old city has been emptied of its residents," he said, adding that it was mostly elderly people who decided to stay.

The quake lasted about 30 seconds, bringing down many buildings, including the dome on the 16th-century San Bernardino church. The city's cathedral was also damaged.

Roofs caved in on sleeping inhabitants and boulders fell off mountain slopes blocking many roads. At least five children were among the dead in L'Aquila, according to police.

Doctors treated people in the open air outside L'Aquila's main hospital as only one operating room was functioning.

L'Aquila resident Maria Francesco said: "It was the apocalypse, 20 minutes of hell, our house collapsed. It's destroyed, and there's nothing left to recover."

"It's a scandal what's happened," she told AFP. "For the past three months there have been regular tremors, and they've been getting stronger and stronger!"

L'Aquila suffered the biggest toll while police reported deaths in the towns and villages of Castelnuovo, Poggio Picenze, Torminparte, Fossa, Totani and Villa Sant'Angelo, ANSA reported.

Condolences and offers of help poured in from around the world.

"We want to send our condolences to the families there," US President Barack Obama said during an official visit in Turkey.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the US embassy in Rome would provide 50,000 dollars in emergency relief, while US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi telephoned Berlusconi to offer condolences.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon was "saddened by the loss of life and destruction of property in central Italy," his spokeswoman said.

Pope Benedict XVI sent his prayers, the Vatican said.

Italian authorities told countries offering assistance they did not need rescue teams.

Italy is criss-crossed by two fault lines, making it one of Europe's most quake-vulnerable regions, with some 20 million people at risk.