A Powerful 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Devastates Central Italy, Kills 159 People

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck central Italy on Wednesday at around 3:36 A.M. local time, killing at least 159 people and shattering the Amatrice town. Most of the people were sleeping in their homes and astonished on the tremors caused by the earthquake.

The hardest hit by the quake are the towns of Amatrice and Accumoli. The 6.2 magnitude earthquake was followed by about 200 aftershocks over the next several hours. These include a 5.5 magnitude tremor at 4:33 A.M, according to New York Times.

Many rescuers are still looking for possible survivors under the rubble of collapsed homes and buildings. The mayor of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi stated that "half the town no longer exists." He further said that the problem is removing people from under the rubble. He also though that many people were still trapped or dead underneath the debris.

The historical buildings of the town dating from the Middle Ages were destroyed. Renaissance, Roman and Baroque monuments can be seen through the town. There are also 100 churches that include the San Emilio and St. Augustine. The town also highlights the Church of San Francisco, in the second half of the twelfth century, with fifteenth - century frescoes in the apse and the Santa Maria di Porta Ferrata, among many others. Some of these churches were ruined by the quake.

CNN reported that everybody is outside and people are quite afraid to go inside their houses. "Many of them also believe they are going to spend the night outside. Many are afraid of aftershocks and what happened last night," said CNN's Fred Pleitgen.

"A lot of the villages have very ancient buildings. Those are made of old stone, brick and mud, so they just fell apart." He also said that the main access roads near Accumoli are packed with bulldozers, ambulances and medical equipment. Some of them cannot get into the stricken areas because the roads are blocked and in some cases too perilous to pass.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi stated that they feel terrible pain. "From tomorrow and in the next few months we'll work on this (reconstruction). But now, this is a time to pray and shed tears; a moment for respect and pain for all Italians for this huge shock."