Italy

At least 90 dead and 1,500 injured in Italian earthquake

Article published on the 2009-04-06 Latest update 2009-04-06 14:38 TU

An Italian military carabinieri walks past destroyed buildings after the earthquake, in downtown Aquila
(Photo: Reuters)

A strong earthquake shook Italy’s central Abruzzo region early Monday and local media report at least 90 people are dead and 1,500 are injured. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi declared a state of emergency and cancelled a trip to Russia so he could visit the struck region.

Abruzzo’s capital L'Aquila, home to some 60,000 people, was the epicentre of the quake, which measured 6.2 (out of 10) on the Richter scale.

RFI correspondent Sabrina Castelfranco says a tent city is being put up in downtown L'Aquila to accommodate many who are frightened to return to their homes.

"Here there is a sense of fear, people are scared," she says. "There are constant aftershocks here in L'Aquila and people don't feel safe returning to their homes."

Public safety chief Guido Bertolaso said there would be "numerous victims, many injured and so many collapsed homes" as he headed to the scene, French news agency AFP reported.

Four children are reported to be among the dead.

Thousands of the city's residents were in the streets fearing aftershocks after being startled awake by the quake just after 3:30 am (0130 Universal time).

A civil protection official reported that 3,000 to 10,000 buildings may have been damaged by the earthquake.

Reports indicate that the quake, which came just hours after a 4.6-magnitude tremor shook Italy's north-central region with no reports of damage, could be felt as far away as Rome.