At least seven die as earthquake strikes Italy

ITALIAN parents screamed frantically last night as they listened to groans from their dying children buried under tons of concrete after an earthquake brought their nursery school crashing down.

The bodies of six children and a teacher, who had been having a Halloween party with about 50 other youngsters aged between three and six, were dragged out from under the rubble but many more were still buried.

Eight of 20 rescued children were suffering from critical injuries. Hours after the quake rocked central and southern Italy, rescue teams were clawing at the concrete in the search for survivors.

A total of 59 people were thought to be inside the school when the 5.4-magnitude quake struck the region about 100km north-east of Naples at 11:33am.

Rescue teams backed by bulldozers and earthmovers worked into the night, using torches and removing concrete chunks with their bare hands in search of survivors. Firemenfighters brought out dusty, dazed children, as parents in the village of San Giuliano di Puglia some with their faces painted for the annual trick or treat festivities prayed their youngsters had survived.

"They were together in the school because they were having a Halloween party," said Tonino Scarlatelli, an official in the Molise regional president's office. The 50-year-old school building was surrounded by buildings that appeared to have been virtually untouched by the tremor. Elsewhere however, entire buildings were brought down by the quake.

About 70% of the homes in the region were damaged, many with collapsed roofs, said the government's forestry department.

"The scenario is devastating," said forestry commander Luigi Falasca.

The earthquake, which was felt in a number of regions, including Campania, Apulia, Abruzzo and parts of Rome which lies 130 miles from the worst affected area damaged buildings and caused panic among the population.

Witnesses said the main quake was accompanied by a loud bang. "It was a short but very intense tremor," said a bar owner in Campobasso. There were scenes of panic in Basilicata and Irpinia, where a devastating earthquake killed more than 2,500 people in 1980. Cracks gaped in building walls, and chunks of plaster fell from ceilings, Italian news reports said. People in Campobasso reported a humming sound when the quake struck.

The quake was followed by at least two aftershocks. A 3.7 magnitude quake also hit Mount Etna, the Sicilian volcano which began erupting Sunday. No damage was reported.

The National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology in Rome said the Campobasso quake and the Etna quake 275 miles to the south were "not connected".