L'AQUILA (Italy) - RESCUERS scrambled in the dark on Tuesday to find survivors from a powerful earthquake in central Italy that killed at least 150 people as thousands of homeless sought shelter in hastily built tent cities.
Dazed survivors hunt for kin in Italian quake town
L'AQUILA (Italy) - DESPERATE for help in digging out his 60-year-old mother from under a heap of mangled metal and concrete, Tancredi Vicentini ran after local firemen down a rubble-strewn street in L'Aquila pleading for help.
A few firemen clambered up on top of the rubble and began picking up pieces with their hands, but the digging ended as abruptly as it started.
'We want to send our condolences to the families there,' US President Barack Obama said during an official visit in Turkey.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the US embassy in Rome would provide US$50,000 in emergency relief funding, while US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi telephoned Mr Berlusconi to offer condolences.
With nightfall adding to the driving rain hampering the search, emergency services said 100 people had been pulled alive from the rubble of Renaissance and Baroque buildings around the historic town L'Aquila since the quake struck early Monday.
The government has estimated that up to 70,000 people have been left homeless by the quake which measured magnitude 6.2 that damaged 10,000 buildings, many beyond repair. The epicentre was under L'Aquila and massive destruction was reported for 30km in all directions from the town. The nearby villages of Villa Sant'Angelo and Borgo di Castelnuovo were practically wiped out.
Many residents fled L'Aquila, some even on foot. Others were lucky enough to find shelter in army barracks, stadiums and sports centres as overnight temperatures were expected to dip to 4 deg C.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi declared a state of emergency in the Abruzzo region and cancelled a trip to Russia in order to visit L'Aquila, about 100km north-east of Rome. He said an initial 30 million euros (S$60 million) had been earmarked to help the region.
Rescue workers said at least 150 people were killed, of which 98 had already been identified, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. while Mr Berlusconi told a news conference here that 1,500 people were injured.
'No one will be abandoned to his fate,' he vowed, adding that a tent village was being set up that could accommodate between 16,000 and 20,000 people.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni pledged 1,700 additional rescuers, including 1,500 firefighters. He said rescue efforts would continue working 'day and night', television footage showed rescue workers in L'Aquila toiling under huge lights after night fell.
The quake struck just after 3.30 am (0130 GMT, 9.30am Singapore time) and lasted about 30 seconds, bringing down many historic buildings, including the dome on the 16th century San Bernardino church. The city's cathedral was also damaged.
Roofs caved in on sleeping inhabitants and boulders fell off mountain slopes blocking many roads. At least five children were among the dead in L'Aquila, according to police. Doctors treated people in the open air outside L'Aquila's main hospital as only one operating room was functioning. -- AFP
