Central Italy was struck by a powerful, 6.2-magnitude earthquake in the early hours on Wednesday, leaving at least 10 people dead and devastating dozens of mountain villages. The tremors were sufficiently strong to wake residents of central Rome, some 150 km away. The first two confirmed victims were an elderly couple whose home collapsed in Pescara del Tronto in the Marche region, east of the epicentre, according to national broadcaster Rai. "Half the village has disappeared," said Sergio Pirozzi, mayor of Amatrice, a mountain village in neighbouring Lazio that was packed with visitors at the peak of the summer season. In 2009 a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in the Aquila region, which was also felt in the Italian capital, left more than 300 dead

Source: dna August 24, 2016 04:02 UTC