At least 247 feared dead as powerful quake hits central Italy
At least 247 people have died after a powerful earthquake struck central Italy, destroying dozens of villages, the country's civil protection agency said, raising a previous count of 120.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi warned on Wednesday that the figure could still rise as rescue efforts continued in the mountain villages devastated by the quake.
About 368 people were injured in the tremor, he said at a press conference in the Rieti region, not far from the epicentre of the 6.0-6.2 magnitude quake.
"This is not a final toll," Renzi added.
The earthquake caused buildings to collapse and sent panicked residents fleeing into the streets of numerous towns and cities.
The mayor of the small town of Amatrice reported 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."
Italy's civil protection agency said the earthquake was "severe".
A 5.5 magnitude aftershock hit the same region an hour after the initial quake.
Luca Cari, fire department spokesman, said "there have been reports of victims" in the quake zone, but he did not have any precise details.
Besides Amatrice, the worst-hit towns were believed to be Accumoli, Posta and Arquata del Tronto, Cari told Reuters news agency, adding that helicopters would be sent up at first light to assess the damage.
Gilberto Saccorotti, a geologist at Italy's National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology, told Al Jazeera: "That particular area has a long history of very [powerful], very energetic seismicity. It's not surprising to have had a [powerful] earthquake there.
"From my knowledge of the area, the roads are very narrow, so if one road fails, the connection may become very difficult ... The depth is quite shallow, about four kilometres. Usually the typical depth is in the order of ten kilometres."
Luca Cari, fire department spokesman, said "there have been reports of victims" in the quake zone, but he did not have any precise details.
Gilberto Saccorotti, a geologist at Italy's National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology, told Al Jazeera: "That particular area has a long history of very [powerful], very energetic seismicity. It's not surprising to have had a [powerful] earthquake there.
From my knowledge of the area, the roads are very narrow, so if one road fails, the connection may become very difficult ... The depth is quite shallow, about four kilometres. Usually the typical depth is in the order of ten kilometres."
