ROME—Strong earthquakes struck central Italy early Wednesday, killing several people, trapping many others under debris and setting off tremors that awakened sleeping residents in Rome nearly 100 miles away. The first, 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck at 3:36 a.m. near the town of Accumoli, in the province of Rieti. The mayor of Accumoli reported that people had been killed there. “There are people stuck in the rubble,” he said, calling on emergency services to help clear roads. “Houses are no longer there,” he added, suggesting that victims had been buried in the rubble.

Source: thestar August 24, 2016 03:45 UTC