The death roll from the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Italy yesterday morning has risen to 120 people.
The earthquake hit a remote area of central Italy, mainly affecting a town called Amatrice and surrounding areas.
Yesterday, the number was sitting around approximately 38, but Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has confirmed the devastating jump in numbers.
“This is not a final toll,” he warned, saying that 368 people were currently known to be injured plus an unknown number is still trapped under rubble, so the number of deaths and injuries would no doubt continue to rise.
“We Italians are very good at arguing and being polemical but now let’s stand in solidarity and pride alongside those who are rescuing others.Today is a day for tears. Tomorrow we can talk of reconstruction.”
Accumoli mayor Stefano Petrucci said some 2,500 people were left homeless in the local community; they could not return home due to the threat of aftershocks from the destructive earthquake.
One resident of the area told media that that there were many tourists in the area due to it being holiday season:
“It’s all young people here, it’s holiday season, the town festival was to have been held the day after tomorrow so lots of people came for that.”
No one allowed to spend Wednesday night in quake-hit town of Amatrice, Italian officials say https://t.co/qRQXHkkXq3 pic.twitter.com/HePOrR3fe9
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) August 24, 2016
Always from Amatrice… pic.twitter.com/pAeEDJDxfm
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 24, 2016
The event is Italy’s biggest disaster since L’Aquila in 2009.
Photo: Awakening / Getty.
