A 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked central Italy on Wednesday, August 24, reportedly leaving at least 38 people dead and many more feared to be buried under rubble.
Several towns near Rieti have been devastated by the powerful tremor that struck in the middle of the night and could be felt in Rome, approximately 70 miles away.
The mayor of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi, told RAI television: “Three-quarters of the town is not there anymore. The aim now is to save as many lives as possible. There are voices under the rubble. We have to save the people there.”
His words were also echoed to the state broadcaster by Stefano Petrucci, mayor of another nearby town, Accumoli, where a family of four are feared dead.
“Now that daylight has come, we see that the situation is even more dreadful than we feared, with buildings collapsed, people trapped under the rubble and no sound of life,” he said.
Rescuers are now desperately searching for survivors and digging under the collapsed buildings, according to multiple outlets.
The first known victims of the earthquake were an elderly couple, whose home fell in on them in a town 10 miles from the epicenter.
In the country’s capital, some buildings reportedly shook for 20 seconds.
Italy’s Civil Protection agency has described the earthquake as “severe.”
In 2009, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in the Aquila region left more than 300 dead.