Looks like central Italy just got rocked by a major earthquake. It measured 6.2 and apparently it’s done a lot of damage:
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake has struck central Italy, with officials saying some buildings had collapsed and people were trapped under rubble.
The quake hit at 03:36 (01:36 GMT), 76 km (47 miles) southeast of the city of Perugia, at the very shallow depth of 10km (six miles), the USGS said.
In Rome, some buildings shook for 20 seconds, according to La Repubblica newspaper.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
However the USGS predicted these could be significant, based on data from previous quakes.
The mayor of the town of Amatrice, Sergio Perozzi, told state-run RAI radio that buildings in the town centre had collapsed leaving people trapped under the rubble and the electricity had been cut.
Here’s what the mayor is saying:
BREAKING: Mayor of quake-hit Amatrice in Italy says residents are buried under debris and that the town "isn't here anymore."
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 24, 2016
NOW: Mayor of #Amatrice: "We can hear people screaming trapped under the ruins. We need help!" – @FabioValenteTNN https://t.co/UIChNoc6W9
— Al Boe (@AlBoeNEWS) August 24, 2016
Here’s a few photos from Twitter:
DEVELOPING: Amatrice, Italy mayor to @Radio1Rai: Town "isn't here anymore" after 6.2 quake https://t.co/Xcq1UPq7ww pic.twitter.com/9u4DETJPag
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 24, 2016
BREAKING: Photos appear to show initial damage from 6.2 magnitude #earthquake in Italy. pic.twitter.com/y9Xf95fxT9
— Breaking911 Weather (@B911Weather) August 24, 2016
Italy Earthquake Damage: pic.twitter.com/BvF1CGjrFz
— News This Second (@NewsThisSecond) August 24, 2016
I’ll update when I have more.