Central Italy was ravaged overnight by a destructive earthquake, which measured a powerful 6.2 on the Richter scale.
Reports on the number of casualties have varied, but so far it seems as though at least 11 people have been killed with the death toll set to rise further.
The Mayor of Amatrice, which was one of the worst areas affected, has said that ‘half of the town is gone’.
He told RAI state television:
“Now that daylight has come, we see that the situation is even more dreadful than we feared with buildings collapsed, people trapped under the rubble and no sound of life.
“The aim now is to save as many lives as possible. There are voices under the rubble, we have to save the people there.”
Aftershocks are expected in Italy following a shallow 6.2-magnitude earthquake that has caused at least 6 deaths https://t.co/7Skf8bZpOI
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 24, 2016
The town of Accumoli, near Perugia, was also affected particularly badly. Shocks could be felt in the capital Rome, roughly 100 miles away from the epicentre. The BBC report that some buildings in the capital shook for 20 seconds.
Reports from Associated Press suggest that a family a four was trapped beneath fallen debris without any signs of life.
BREAKING: Mayor of quake-hit Italian town of Accumoli says family of four trapped under debris without any signs of life.
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 24, 2016
Two more people are believed to have died in the village of Pescara del Tronto.
Pictures from Armatrice, posted to social media, show the devastation that the earthquake has caused.
https://twitter.com/IanSinkins/status/768349432131817477
#Rome feels tremors as strong earthquakes strike central #Italy. @AFP #Armatrice #ItalyEarthquake #USA #London pic.twitter.com/gyZqe60jFk
— Imad Salamoun (@ImadSalamoun) August 24, 2016
