Italy earthquake’s death toll reaches 247

Risingbd Desk: Thousands of rescuers have searched through the night for survivors following Wednesday`s earthquake in a mountainous area of central Italy.

Many people are still believed to be buried under rubble and more than 4,300 rescuers are using heavy lifting equipment and bare hands to find them.

More than 247 people have died and hundreds of people were injured, officials said.

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.

Hundres of 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 US Geological Survey said it was a 6.2 magnitude quake that hit near the town of Norcia, in the region of Umbria, at 3:36am local time (01:36 GMT).

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 said: "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."

Source: Agencies

Risingbd/Aug 25, 2016/Mukul