The
true horror of the Italian earthquake disaster was revealed today as
witnesses described the hellish scenes as 'like Dante's inferno' and
shocking pictures showed how four towns were almost wiped off the map.
At
least 73 people were killed, including two babies, and 150 people are
believed to be trapped under rubble after the 6.2-magnitude quake struck
at 3.30am local time this morning while villagers slept in their beds.
Agostino
Severo, a Rome resident visiting the hamlet of Illica, north of
hard-hit Amatrice, said: 'We came out to the piazza, and it looked like
Dante's Inferno. People crying for help, help. Rescue workers arrived
after one hour... one and a half hours.'
Today
rescuers spoke of hearing children's screams from the rubble and locals
were spotted frantically digging with their bare hands to try and save
loved ones.
The
quake which devastated the mountainside towns and villages of Amatrice,
Accumoli, Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto was so powerful
that it even rocked buildings in the centre of Rome more than 100 miles
away and was felt as far away as Croatia.
Survivors
today described 'apocalyptic' scenes in towns and villages at the
border of three regions - Umbria, Lazio and Marche - near the city of
Perugia, which is especially popular with British holidaymakers.
The
quake's epicentre was near Norcia in Umbria, about 105 miles north east
of Rome, and falling bridges and landslides meant some areas are still
cut off with emergency teams only able to get there on foot.
The
mayor of Accumoli, Stefano Petrucci, said this morning: 'My town isn't
here anymore' as people were carried out of ruined buildings on
stretchers and people desperately searched the debris for survivors or
sobbed as they inspected their own ruined homes.
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