Major Earthquake Slams Italy

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

An early morning earthquake originally measuring 6.4, but was downgraded to a 6.2 magnitude, has slammed central Italy.  Reports say six are dead (update: 241 dead).  Though it hit lightly populated areas, the damage was extensive.  Witnesses say that many people are trapped under rubble, and in the small town of Amatrice, half the town has been destroyed.

Television stations showed images of rubble-strewn streets in a number of towns. The facades of some old stone buildings had collapsed, leaving the inside rooms exposed.

Residents of Rome, 105 miles away from the epicenter, were woken by the quake, which rattled furniture and swayed lights in most of central Italy.

There were 17 aftershocks in the three hours following the initial quake, the strongest measuring 5.5, the Italian seismic.

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