Major Earthquake Rocks Central Italy

[Book of Jeremiah]

A major earthquake has rocked central Italy, demolishing ancient hill towns, killing scores and leaving thousands homeless.
Update 18:28 BST – The Italian premier has now said the death toll is at least 120 people.

WATCH: Major Quake Devastates Italian Towns, 120+ Dead, Thousands Homeless

Terrible news.

It looks like a war zone.

 

[B. Kidd]

Most of us hear the news.......they had one in the area in 2009.........so WTH is your point?

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Some of us read our news. I do not watch t.v.. If someone else made a thread about this story then by all means merge it but it is an important story. This was a major earthquake. My point? The world is seeing more floods, earthquakes, extreme weather closer together now... this is something people should take notice of. Amatrice needs prayer. Many people there are devastated and homeless now. They need help.

 

[B. Kidd]

Some of us read our news. I do not watch t.v.. If someone else made a thread about this story then by all means merge it but it is an important story. This was a major earthquake. My point? The world is seeing more floods, earthquakes, extreme weather closer together now... this is something people should take notice of. Amatrice needs prayer. Many people there are devastated and homeless now. They need help.

Well............now you spit it out.

 

[Weatherman2020]

I wonder how many scientists Italy will send to prison for this earthquake.

 

[WillowTree]

I wonder if it's near any volcanos!

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I hope not.

 

[waltky]

Devastating earthquake in Italy...

Italy rescuers toil through night seeking quake survivors as death toll hits 159
Wed Aug 24, 2016 - Rescue teams were working through the night to try to find survivors under the rubble that remained of central Italian towns flattened by an earthquake that hit in the early hours of Wednesday, killing at least 159 people.

One hotel that collapsed in the small town of Amatrice probably had about 70 guests, and only seven bodies had so far been recovered, said the mayor of the town that was one of the worst hit by the quake. The strong 6.2 magnitude quake razed homes and buckled roads in a cluster of mountain communities 140 km (85 miles) east of Rome. It was powerful enough to be felt in Bologna to the north and Naples to the south, each more than 220 km (135 miles) from the epicenter. "Tonight will be our first nightmare night," said Alessandro Gabrielli, one of hundreds preparing to sleep in tents erected by rescue workers in fields and parking lots, each one housing 12 people whose homes had been destroyed. "Last night, I woke up with a sound that sounded like a bomb," he added.

Rescuers work following an earthquake in Pescara del Tronto, central Italy​

Rescuers working with emergency lighting in the darkness saved a 10-year-old girl, pulling her out of the rubble alive, where she had lain for some 17 hours in the hamlet of Pescara del Tronto. Many other children were not so lucky. In the nearby village of Accumoli, a family of four, including two boys aged 8 months and 9 years, were buried when their house imploded. As rescue workers carried away the body of the infant, carefully covered by a small blanket, the children's grandmother blamed God: "He took them all at once," she wailed. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said the Cabinet would meet on Thursday to decide measures to help the affected communities. "Today is a day for tears, tomorrow we can talk of reconstruction," he told reporters late on Wednesday as he announced 120 bodies had been found and 368 people had been taken to hospital.

TOLL COULD CLIMB

The death toll rose to 159 a few hours later. With people still unaccounted for, the civil protection department warned it could climb higher. Aerial photographs showed whole areas of Amatrice, last year voted one of Italy's most beautiful historic towns, flattened by the quake. Inhabitants of the four worst-hit small towns rise by as much as tenfold in the summer, and many of those killed or missing were visitors. Amatrice's mayor, Sergio Pirozzi, said its best-known accommodation, Hotel Roma, which probably had around 70 guests at the time of the quake, had collapsed and only seven bodies had been found under the rubble. The civil protection agency said it was trying to determine how many people were staying in the hotel. Most of the damage was in the Lazio and Marche regions, with Lazio bearing the brunt of the damage and the biggest toll. Neighboring Umbria was also affected. All three regions are dotted with centuries-old buildings susceptible to earthquakes.

A rescuer stands in front of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy.​

Italy's earthquake institute, INGV, said the epicenter was near Accumoli and Amatrice, which lie between the larger towns of Ascoli Piceno to the northeast and Rieti to the southwest. It was relatively shallow at 4 km (2.5 miles) below the earth's surface. INGV reported 150 aftershocks in the 12 hours following the initial quake, the strongest measuring 5.5. Italy sits on two fault lines, making it one of the most seismically active countries in Europe. The last major earthquake to hit the country struck the central city of L'Aquila in 2009, killing more than 300 people. The most deadly temblor since the start of the 20th century came in 1908, when an earthquake followed by a tsunami killed an estimated 80,000 people in the southern regions of Reggio Calabria and Sicily.

Italy rescuers toil through night seeking quake survivors as death toll hits 159

 

[waltky]

Earthquake death toll in central Italy rises to 247...

Strong Earthquake Kills at Least 247 in Central Italy
August 25, 2016 — Italian officials have raised the death toll from Wednesday's earthquake to at least 247 people and injured more than 360. Rescuers are continuing to search for victims buried in the debris.

Earlier Wednesday, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi traveled by helicopter to the affected areas and shook hands with the rescue volunteers. Renzi also spoke with the minister of infrastructure and the head of the civil protection agency. He declined to make any statement to reporters, saying it was "not the time to talk." Earlier, Renzi said, "No family, no city, no town will be left alone.'' The earthquake struck the region just after 3:30 a.m. local time Wednesday, causing extensive damage to three cities near the epicenter. Children were among the dead. The U.S. Geological Survey put the epicenter of the magnitude-6.2 quake about 10 kilometers southeast of the town of Norcia. The shaking was also felt across a large part of the Umbria region, including the capital, Rome, 150 kilometers away.

The hardest-hit areas included the towns of Amatrice and Accumoli, which was largely reduced to rubble. "Three-quarters of the town is not there anymore,'' Amatrice Mayor Sergio Pirozzi told state-run broadcaster RAI. "The aim now is to save as many lives as possible. There are voices under the rubble; we have to save the people there." The civil protection agency confirmed that at least 53 of the dead were in Amatrice alone. "The whole ceiling fell but did not hit me," Amatrice resident Maria Gianni said. "I just managed to put a pillow on my head and I wasn't hit luckily, just slightly injured my leg." Another woman, sitting in front of her destroyed home, said she did not know what might have happened to her loved ones. "It was one of the most beautiful towns of Italy and now there's nothing left,'' she said. The Rev. Savino D'Amelio, a parish priest in Amatrice, called the situation an "immense tragedy."

More than 80 aftershocks

In the neighboring province of Marche, the earthquake was felt at 3.36 a.m. In Montefiore dell'Aso, about 90 minutes away by car from Norcia, the epicenter, the shock lasted about 30 seconds, VOA's Jamie Dettmer said. Dettmer said residents at the Hotel Magnolia, perched above a picturesque valley running into the Adriatic, were shocked by the quake's strength and duration as they evacuated the building, fearing aftershocks. "The hotel creaked and groaned ... as the prolonged jolt tested the building, which held up well. There was only a slight and small superficial crack in the masonry," he said. Outside the hotel, guests trawled the internet for news and called family and friends to find out if they were all safe. About 45 minutes later, a second, weaker temblor lasted about 20 seconds. And later on, another aftershock was felt, also lasting about 20 seconds.

Rescuers search amid rubble following an earthquake in Amatrice, Italy​

Dettmer said more than 80 aftershocks have been felt since the initial large tremor in different parts of Italy. "Italians in the central provinces of Lazio, Marche and Umbria are on edge," he said. "Many people are fearful of a repeat of the devastation caused in the 2009 earthquake that wrecked the city of L'Aquila, in which 309 people died. So far it is smaller villages that have been mostly affected." Wednesday's quake was not far from L'Aquila. Most of the dead were in the villages of Accumoli and Amatrice. Another village to the southeast of Norcia, Pescara del Tronto, was leveled. Several days earlier, central Italy had experienced slight tremors. At the Vatican, Pope Francis expressed his sorrow for the people and cities affected and canceled part of his general audience to pray for the victims.

International aid

 

[B. Kidd]

Earthquake death toll in central Italy rises to 247...

Strong Earthquake Kills at Least 247 in Central Italy
August 25, 2016 — Italian officials have raised the death toll from Wednesday's earthquake to at least 247 people and injured more than 360. Rescuers are continuing to search for victims buried in the debris.

Earlier Wednesday, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi traveled by helicopter to the affected areas and shook hands with the rescue volunteers. Renzi also spoke with the minister of infrastructure and the head of the civil protection agency. He declined to make any statement to reporters, saying it was "not the time to talk." Earlier, Renzi said, "No family, no city, no town will be left alone.'' The earthquake struck the region just after 3:30 a.m. local time Wednesday, causing extensive damage to three cities near the epicenter. Children were among the dead. The U.S. Geological Survey put the epicenter of the magnitude-6.2 quake about 10 kilometers southeast of the town of Norcia. The shaking was also felt across a large part of the Umbria region, including the capital, Rome, 150 kilometers away.

The hardest-hit areas included the towns of Amatrice and Accumoli, which was largely reduced to rubble. "Three-quarters of the town is not there anymore,'' Amatrice Mayor Sergio Pirozzi told state-run broadcaster RAI. "The aim now is to save as many lives as possible. There are voices under the rubble; we have to save the people there." The civil protection agency confirmed that at least 53 of the dead were in Amatrice alone. "The whole ceiling fell but did not hit me," Amatrice resident Maria Gianni said. "I just managed to put a pillow on my head and I wasn't hit luckily, just slightly injured my leg." Another woman, sitting in front of her destroyed home, said she did not know what might have happened to her loved ones. "It was one of the most beautiful towns of Italy and now there's nothing left,'' she said. The Rev. Savino D'Amelio, a parish priest in Amatrice, called the situation an "immense tragedy."

More than 80 aftershocks

In the neighboring province of Marche, the earthquake was felt at 3.36 a.m. In Montefiore dell'Aso, about 90 minutes away by car from Norcia, the epicenter, the shock lasted about 30 seconds, VOA's Jamie Dettmer said. Dettmer said residents at the Hotel Magnolia, perched above a picturesque valley running into the Adriatic, were shocked by the quake's strength and duration as they evacuated the building, fearing aftershocks. "The hotel creaked and groaned ... as the prolonged jolt tested the building, which held up well. There was only a slight and small superficial crack in the masonry," he said. Outside the hotel, guests trawled the internet for news and called family and friends to find out if they were all safe. About 45 minutes later, a second, weaker temblor lasted about 20 seconds. And later on, another aftershock was felt, also lasting about 20 seconds.

Rescuers search amid rubble following an earthquake in Amatrice, Italy​

Dettmer said more than 80 aftershocks have been felt since the initial large tremor in different parts of Italy. "Italians in the central provinces of Lazio, Marche and Umbria are on edge," he said. "Many people are fearful of a repeat of the devastation caused in the 2009 earthquake that wrecked the city of L'Aquila, in which 309 people died. So far it is smaller villages that have been mostly affected." Wednesday's quake was not far from L'Aquila. Most of the dead were in the villages of Accumoli and Amatrice. Another village to the southeast of Norcia, Pescara del Tronto, was leveled. Several days earlier, central Italy had experienced slight tremors. At the Vatican, Pope Francis expressed his sorrow for the people and cities affected and canceled part of his general audience to pray for the victims.

International aid

^^^^^

Another classic 'what the hell is the point?' post, brought to us by the chimp-meister.

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

Some of us read our news. I do not watch t.v.. If someone else made a thread about this story then by all means merge it but it is an important story. This was a major earthquake. My point? The world is seeing more floods, earthquakes, extreme weather closer together now... this is something people should take notice of. Amatrice needs prayer. Many people there are devastated and homeless now. They need help.

If you think it's a sign of end times you missed the boat. Obama has been proof of that for eight years.
Disasters seem to occur with more frequency because people live more in prone areas and are around to experience it. Like trees falling in the woods.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Some of us read our news. I do not watch t.v.. If someone else made a thread about this story then by all means merge it but it is an important story. This was a major earthquake. My point? The world is seeing more floods, earthquakes, extreme weather closer together now... this is something people should take notice of. Amatrice needs prayer. Many people there are devastated and homeless now. They need help.

If you think it's a sign of end times you missed the boat. Obama has been proof of that for eight years.
Disasters seem to occur with more frequency because people live more in prone areas and are around to experience it. Like trees falling in the woods.

I do not believe the end will come tomorrow. Not at all. I do find (however) that these signs are beginning to all come together as Jesus said it would in Matthew Chapter 24 and never before in history has this happened. That is something you should consider.

 

[B. Kidd]

Some of us read our news. I do not watch t.v.. If someone else made a thread about this story then by all means merge it but it is an important story. This was a major earthquake. My point? The world is seeing more floods, earthquakes, extreme weather closer together now... this is something people should take notice of. Amatrice needs prayer. Many people there are devastated and homeless now. They need help.

If you think it's a sign of end times you missed the boat. Obama has been proof of that for eight years.
Disasters seem to occur with more frequency because people live more in prone areas and are around to experience it. Like trees falling in the woods.

I do not believe the end will come tomorrow. Not at all. I do find (however) that these signs are beginning to all come together as Jesus said it would in Matthew Chapter 24 and never before in history has this happened. That is something you should consider.

Sorry, but you are no Nostradamus (as much as you'd like to be).

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Nostradamus was a false prophet. Jesus Christ is the one who told us of what signs to look for in Matthew Chapter 24. Read it, B. Kidd.

 

[B. Kidd]

Nostradamus was a false prophet. Jesus Christ is the one who told us of what signs to look for in Matthew Chapter 24. Read it, B. Kidd.

Make me!

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

Some of us read our news. I do not watch t.v.. If someone else made a thread about this story then by all means merge it but it is an important story. This was a major earthquake. My point? The world is seeing more floods, earthquakes, extreme weather closer together now... this is something people should take notice of. Amatrice needs prayer. Many people there are devastated and homeless now. They need help.

If you think it's a sign of end times you missed the boat. Obama has been proof of that for eight years.
Disasters seem to occur with more frequency because people live more in prone areas and are around to experience it. Like trees falling in the woods.

I do not believe the end will come tomorrow. Not at all. I do find (however) that these signs are beginning to all come together as Jesus said it would in Matthew Chapter 24 and never before in history has this happened. That is something you should consider.

I have. And now you need to consider that more people put themselves in harm's which leads to an ostensible increase in disasters.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Some of us read our news. I do not watch t.v.. If someone else made a thread about this story then by all means merge it but it is an important story. This was a major earthquake. My point? The world is seeing more floods, earthquakes, extreme weather closer together now... this is something people should take notice of. Amatrice needs prayer. Many people there are devastated and homeless now. They need help.

If you think it's a sign of end times you missed the boat. Obama has been proof of that for eight years.
Disasters seem to occur with more frequency because people live more in prone areas and are around to experience it. Like trees falling in the woods.

I do not believe the end will come tomorrow. Not at all. I do find (however) that these signs are beginning to all come together as Jesus said it would in Matthew Chapter 24 and never before in history has this happened. That is something you should consider.

I have. And now you need to consider that more people put themselves in harm's which leads to an ostensible increase in disasters.

I cannot agree with that. If that were true most Believers would have already fled from America. This is most likely the worst nation on earth for Believers to be living in right now considering what plans the wicked have been plotting. With that said there is no safer place to be then the place where God has you. Bloom where you're planted.

 

[pwjohn]

Some of us read our news. I do not watch t.v.. If someone else made a thread about this story then by all means merge it but it is an important story. This was a major earthquake. My point? The world is seeing more floods, earthquakes, extreme weather closer together now... this is something people should take notice of. Amatrice needs prayer. Many people there are devastated and homeless now. They need help.

If you think it's a sign of end times you missed the boat. Obama has been proof of that for eight years.
Disasters seem to occur with more frequency because people live more in prone areas and are around to experience it. Like trees falling in the woods.

Hey pal, those structure over there knocked down by this earthquake have been there for centuries. You dumass

 

[waltky]

Italy declares state of emergency...

Italy earthquake: More than 2,000 forced to live in camps
August 26, 2016 - Officials home to relocate people as weather cools in mountain area; Death toll climbs to 267 as aftershocks continue in Amatrice

Desperately needing food and shelter, more than 2,000 Italians are taking refuge in makeshift camps after this week's powerful earthquake that killed at least 267 people and flattened entire villages. Camps have been set up in several affected areas, including Amatrice, the hardest-hit town, where 207 people were killed and buildings -- many from the 14th century -- have crumbled in the aftershocks. Italy's civil protection agency told CNN that 2,100 people were living in the camps and said that more would be built to accommodate those in need. Images from an Amatrice camp showed displaced people lining up for pasta and an elderly couple sitting on the edge of mattresses on a gym floor, having a meal as those around them hug and console one another.

'So many dead, so many children'

Emergency workers and earthquake survivors get food at a field kitchen in Amatrice​

At a camp in Sant'Angelo, northeast of Amatrice, people gathered and shared their stories of loss.
One woman, Angelina Leone, could not hide her devastation. "There is no hope, too many people dead. And Amatrice doesn't exist anymore. Amatrice has disappeared, and there are so many dead, so many children," she said, holding back tears. At yet another camp, in Accumoli, Anna Maria Volpetti, 52, told CNN she had been visiting her hometown with her family when the quake hit. "We are lucky," she said. "The earthquake was brutal. It came in waves." Giampiero Antonetti of the civil protection agency in the Abruzzo region said that teams were trying to relocate people out of the camps as the weather in the mountainous area cools. "We will look for places for them to stay -- hotels, with relatives. Yesterday during the night it almost reached freezing, so people cannot be here for a long time."

72-hour window

Firefighters cordon off an area around the rubble from a destroyed building Friday, August 26, in Amatrice, the hardest-hit town in the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck central Italy. Hundreds of people have been killed, and the death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams reach remote areas.​

The death toll is steadily creeping up, and it is unclear how many people remain trapped under the mounds of concrete, brick and stone. The rescue mission entered its third day Friday -- still within the crucial 72-hour window, after which the likelihood of survival drops. "Rescuers are very much aware they're in a race against time," said CNN correspondent Frederik Pleitgen, describing the disaster response as swift and well-organized. But officials' hopes of finding more survivors were fading, he said. Aftershocks continue to rattle the region, making the tough rescue mission even more trying.
Italian police on Twitter said the first funeral had held for a man named Marco Santarelli, the son of a police official. Other victims will be buried in a state funeral Saturday, with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi attending, the Italian government said.

MORE

See also:

Italy quake: Emergency declared as hopes for more survivors fade
Fri, 26 Aug 2016 - Italy declares a state of emergency in the regions worst hit by Wednesday's earthquake, in which at least 268 people died, as hopes fade of finding survivors.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has pledged €50m (£42m) in funds for rebuilding. At least 268 people are now known to have died and 400 were injured. Teams have continued to search the rubble of toppled buildings for a second night. However, hundreds of aftershocks have hampered the efforts of the 5,000 rescuers. Another magnitude-4.7 tremor struck early on Friday.

The central Italian town of Pescara del Tronto lies in ruins​

In addition to the funds, Mr Renzi cancelled taxes for residents and announced a new initiative, "Italian Homes", to tackle criticism over shoddy construction. But he also said that it was "absurd" to think that Italy could build completely quake-proof buildings. It follows criticism in the Italian press over building standards in high-risk areas. Some of the buildings that collapsed had recently been renovated. Historic towns do not have to conform to anti-quake building regulations, which are also often not applied when new buildings are put up.

Tourists among dead

The 6.2-magnitude quake hit in the early hours of Wednesday, 100km (65 miles) north-east of Rome in mountainous central Italy. The worst affected towns - Amatrice, Arquata, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto - are usually sparsely populated but have been swelled by tourists visiting for summer, making estimates for the precise number missing difficult. More than 200 people died in Amatrice alone. At least three Britons died in the quake, a local official in Amatrice told the BBC. The Romanian government said 11 of its citizens were missing. Bodies are still being found in the town, including one discovered in the rubble of the Hotel Roma in the city late on Thursday.

People prepare to spend the night Thursday in a makeshift camp set up in a gym in Amatrice.​

An official with the fire department, Lorenzo Botti, admitted they were facing a race against time. "The chances of finding people alive in these conditions, in this type of setting, well, it's challenging," he said. But other rescuers said there was still hope, noting that one survivor was pulled from ruins in L'Aquila in 2009 three days after an earthquake that killed more than 300 people. Search teams have asked locals to disable their wi-fi passwords to help rescue workers communicate more effectively. Police have also arrested a man for attempting to break into and loot an empty home in the town, Ansa reported.

Italy quake: Emergency declared as hopes for more survivors fade - BBC News

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

Some of us read our news. I do not watch t.v.. If someone else made a thread about this story then by all means merge it but it is an important story. This was a major earthquake. My point? The world is seeing more floods, earthquakes, extreme weather closer together now... this is something people should take notice of. Amatrice needs prayer. Many people there are devastated and homeless now. They need help.

If you think it's a sign of end times you missed the boat. Obama has been proof of that for eight years.
Disasters seem to occur with more frequency because people live more in prone areas and are around to experience it. Like trees falling in the woods.

Hey pal, those structure over there knocked down by this earthquake have been there for centuries. You dumass

I was responding to his assertion that disasters in general have been increasing.
Read more closely and you won't make yourself look like a dumbass.