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Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits central Italy

At least 14 people died

ROME, August 24. /TASS/. A strong earthquake of 6.3 magnitude hit central Italy on Wednesday near the city of Terni, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) reported.

The quake’s epicenter was located 24 kilometers to the west from the city of Askoli Piceno and 50 kilometers to the north from the city of L’Aquila, which has a population of 68,500. The earthquakes depth was two kilometers, according to the EMSC.

Mayor Stefano Petrucci said  at least four people dead in the Italian town of Accumoli after the earthquake

"A family of two parents and two children were trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building and they give no signs of life," the mayor of the town with less than 1,000 population said. "Town buildings were severely damaged in the quake."

At least two people were reported dead in the Italian town of Amatrice following the earthquake, according to press service of the local police.

Amatrice Mayor Sergio Pirozzi said the earthquake inflicted massive damages where buildings collapsed as a result of the natural calamity and people were left trapped under the debris. 

"Roads to and out of the town are inoperable and half of the town has been destroyed," Pirozzi said. "People are trapped under the rubble."

"There was a landslide and there is a possibility that a bridge would collapse," the mayor of Amatrice, which has a population of over 2,800, added.

According to La Repubblica newspaper,  at least 14 people were killed.

The worst-hit settlements are located in the mountainous areas - Amatrice, Pescara del Tronto and Accumoli. There were also reports that buildings, roads and bridges have been damaged. The rescue effort is complicated as many of the areas affected are hard to reach.