At least 13 people have been killed - including a young family of four -
after a devastating 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit Italy overnight.
Tourists
even said they felt the terrifying shock more than 100 miles away in
Rome after the quake is believed to have devastated the areas of
Accumoli, Amatrice, Posta and Arquata del Tronto.
A hospital has been badly damaged in Amatrice with patients moved into the streets.
Panicked
residents were sent fleeing into the streets of numerous towns and
cities as the powerful quake brought buildings - including a hospital -
crashing to the ground early on Wednesday.
Today rescuers have
been seen pulling bloodied victims to safety and frantically searching
for survivors after screams were heard from under the rubble.
The
US Geological Survey said it was a 6.2 magnitude quake that hit near
the town of Norcia, in the region of Umbria, at 3.36am local time.
Victims described "apocalyptic" scenes in towns and villages near
Umbria's capital city of Perugia - which is especially popular with
British holidaymakers.
The mayor of Accumoli said a number of buildings had been badly
damaged and he feared a family of four had died, adding that there were
an "unquantifiable" number of people were also "certainly" buried under
rubble.
An elderly couple died after their home collapsed in
Pescara del Tronto, in the Marche region, where a baby was reportedly
rescued from the wreckage.
Mayor Stefano Petrucci told RAI: "The town isn't here anymore.
"Four people are under the rubble, but they are not showing any sign of life. Two parents and two children."
The mayor of the small town of Amatrice said there had been extensive damage.
"Half
the town is gone," Sergio Pirozzi told RAI state television. "There are
people under the rubble... There's been a landslide and a bridge might
collapse.
"The aim now is to save as many lives as possible. There are voices under the rubble, we have to save the people there."
He
added today: "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."
Shocking pictures emerged today showing emergency teams and sniffer dogs searching for survivors.
Devastated residents were seen in tears among the wreckage as they took in what was left of their homes.
The
Italian branch of the Red Cross sent 20 ambulances and sniffer dogs to
affected areas alongside the Italian Defense Ministry.
The
National President of the Italian Red Cross, Francesco Rocca, is
monitoring the developments in the Operating Committee of the Department
of Civil Protection.
A series of aftershocks were felt in the
region after the huge quake, including a 5.5 magnitude aftershock that
hit an hour after the initial quake.
However, Mayor Nicola Alemanno said no deaths had been reported in Norcia - the epicentre of the earthquake.
He added: "The anti-seismic structures of the town have held.
"There is damage to the historic heritage and buildings, but we do not have any serious injuries."
Fire
Department spokesman Luca Cari said: "There have been reports of
victims" in the quake zone, but he did not have any precise details.
Aleandro Petrucci, the mayor of Arquata, said today: "It's a disaster.
"We are trying to evacuate the village and move them to a sports field.
"I've just arrived and I feel like crying. I've never seen such an
apocalyptic scene except for the L'Aquila earthquake on television."
Lina
Mercantini of Ceselli, Umbria added: "It was so strong. It seemed the
bed was walking across the room by itself with us on it."
Olga
Urbani, in the nearby town of Scheggino, said: "Dear God it was awful.
The walls creaked and all the books fell off the shelves."
Tourists
in Rome, some 170 km (105 miles) from the registered epicentre, were
woken by the quake, which rattled furniture and swayed lights in most of
central Italy.
