Italy earthquake leaves at least 159 dead, rescuers racing against time.
In the Italian village of Saletta, a tiny settlement of about 20 people, residents used their bare hands to ferret through the rubble of a two-story home in a desperate search for
neighbours.
They called out names as they dug through the remains of a bedroom. Rescue dogs sniffed and clawed through the debris, with no signs of life.
As night fell, some villagers placed chairs near homes reduced to piles of rubble. Covered in blankets, they sat patiently and vowed to be, at the very least, present when the remains of loved ones were discovered.
Rescue efforts would continue through the night, said Luigi D'Angelo, an official with Italy's Civil Protection Department.
"Many cases have shown in the past that even after two days people can be rescued alive," he said. "So we want to continue."
A man surveys the damage in Amatrice.
With heavy lifting equipment just starting to reach the isolated village, people used tractors, farm equipment and simple hand tools to break through what was left of old stone villas.
Many settlements are only accessible by small roads, posing a challenge for authorities to move in heavy machinery to the disaster sites.
Italy's Civil Protection agency said of the people killed in the 6.2 magnitude quake, at least 53 of them were in the town of Amatrice, and at least 100 people were injured. Other fatalities were reported in the nearby towns of Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said "there are at least 120 lives cut short at this time" but the death toll will likely go up.
"Right now we feel terrible pain," he said after touring some of the affected areas. "Italy is a family that has been hit and struck, but we are not going to be stopped."
Eleonora Romendini, who was also in the Marche region, said she was uncertain whether to remain in her home after the quake. But after the third powerful aftershock she decided to run outside to the street, alongside stunned neighbors.
"It was very shocking," she said. "We were very scared."
The powerful jolt was felt as far away as Rome, 100 miles from the epicenter.
"It lasted for at least 30 seconds. The entire hotel was shaking," said Charlotte Smith, coach of Elon University women's basketball team in North Carolina, who was in Rome with her players when the quake hit
President Barack Obama called Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday to offer US assistance.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama offered his thoughts and prayers to the people of Italy and "saluted quick action of first responders." There was no information on any Americans who may have been injured or killed in the quake, Earnest said.
The leaders of France, Germany and Russia all expressed their sympathy over the disaster, while the Italian Voluntary Blood Association made an appeal for people to donate blood to help treat those affected.
Italy is no stranger to deadly quakes. In May 2012, a pair of earthquakes killed dozens of people in northern Italy, while in April 2009, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit in the Aquila region of central Italy, killing 295. The earthquake Wednesday struck an area close to the 2009 earthquake.
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