Children killed in Italian earthquake

Six people, including four children, were killed today as a magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck central Italy, reports said.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck about 60 miles north east of Rome. The quake, which struck at around 2.30am British time, was felt in much of central Italy.

The Civil Protection Department said the epicentre was near the city of L’Aquila.

ANSA news agency said four children died in L’Aquila after their houses collapsed.

Massimo Cialente, mayor of L’Aquila, told Sky Italia that two people were reported dead in the nearby small town of Fossa.

He confirmed reports that eight more were missing in another small town.

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude was 6.3, though Italy's National Institute of Geophysics put the magnitude at 5.8.

ANSA said the dome of a church in L’Aquila collapsed, while the city’s cathedral also suffered damages.

People were woken by the quake and ran into the streets.

The quake was the latest in a series of jolts that struck the area over the past two days.

Mr Cialente said 100,000 people in L'Aquila had left their homes after the quake.

Officials said the death toll was likely to increase as dawn rose over L'Aquila and firefighters made their way through the debris. Rescue workers were trying to rescue people from collapsed homes, including a student dormitory where a six students remained trapped inside, RAI state TV reported.

A student told RAI they were awakened by the quake and ran down the stairs of the dorm before the roof collapsed.

The Civil Protection Department said the epicentre was near the city of L’Aquila, in the mountainous Abruzzo region.

“The situation is very serious because the quake affected buildings,” said Luca Spoletini, a spokesman for the department. He declined to give a death toll, saying rescue operations were under way.

Television footage from the scene showed residents and rescue workers hauling away debris from collapsed buildings and bloodied residents waiting to be tended to in hospital hallways.

The last major quake to hit central Italy was a 5.4-magnitude temblor that struck the south-central Molise region on October 31, 2002, killing 28 people, including 27 children who died when their school collapsed.