Italy hunts for quake survivors

A desperate search for survivors is on in the mountain city of L'Aquila in central Italy after a quake killed at least 90 people and injured 1,500.

Rescuers are picking through rubble in the walled medieval city and nearby towns and villages, some of which are said to have been virtually destroyed.

Tents are being put up in tennis courts and on football pitches to house some of the 30,000-40,000 homeless.

Italy's PM Silvio Berlusconi promised a "record number of rescuers".

Earlier, he declared a state of emergency in the region.

L'AQUILA   Medieval city, founded in the 13th Century Capital of the mountainous Abruzzo region Population 70,000, with many thousands more tourists and foreign students Walled city with narrow streets, lined by Baroque and Renaissance buildings

Gianfranco Fini, speaker of the lower house of parliament, told MPs: "Some towns in the area have been virtually destroyed in their entirety."

Such is the damage in L'Aquila, where between 3,000 and 10,000 buildings were reportedly affected, that the city will be uninhabitable for some time, the BBC's David Willey reports.

Surrounding villages were also hit hard:

• In the village of Onna, 10 people were killed, said a Reuters photographer who saw a mother and her infant daughter carried away in the same coffin; the village of 250 was virtually deserted as survivors sought shelter
• In Castelnuovo, a village of about 300 people, five deaths were confirmed

The 6.3-magnitude quake struck at 0330 (0130 GMT) close to L'Aquila, 95km (60 miles) north-east of Rome.

It lasted about 30 seconds, bringing down many Renaissance-era and Baroque buildings, including the dome on one of L'Aquila's churches.

Boulders fell off mountain slopes, blocking roads. Houses were reduced to piles of rubble and cars crushed by raining debris.

One resident, Antonio di Marco, recounted his experience for the BBC: "We escaped outside like madmen, we didn't understand what was happening, the whole building was moving under our feet, it is something that's impossible to describe…"

"It's a catastrophe and an immense shock," resident Renato Di Stefano told the Associated Press as he and his family headed for shelter in a tent camp outside L'Aquila.

"It's struck in the heart of the city, we will never forget the pain."

Field hospital

Fire-fighters aided by dogs worked feverishly to reach people trapped in fallen buildings in L'Aquila, including a student dormitory where several students were believed to be still inside.

Residents and rescuers also used their bare hands to clear the debris from collapsed buildings.

"We are not using machines for this because experience has shown us that it is important to dig by hand [to avoid further casualties]," said Mr Berlusconi after arriving in L'Aquila.

He said a field hospital was being set up to help local medical services. A tent city was also being established outside L'Aquila.

"I can assure you that there is no building that has fallen down without rescuers, without fire brigade being there," he told reporters.

Italy, he said, had the resources it needed to deal with the disaster: "Financially, there are no problems. The government has all the necessary funds at its disposal. We also have the EU catastrophe fund."

Officials say 26 cities and towns have been damaged in the region, not including villages and hamlets.

The BBC's Duncan Kennedy in L'Aquila has described bemused and confused locals wrapped in blankets and carrying their personal belongings in suitcases walking, like a stream of refugees, through the devastation.

The rescue service is stretched to breaking point as it tries to reach all the devastated buildings and care for the survivors and the homeless.

'State of shock'

Dr Agostino Miozzo of the Civil Protection Agency said many survivors faced a rough night ahead.

Sniffer dogs were being used to check rubble in Onna, just outside L'Aquila

"Tonight we'll have a great number of people that will sleep in their car, people that will go to their relatives in the neighbouring area, in the neighbouring towns that are in safe conditions," he told the BBC.

"But they are very shocked, you see, especially the aged people and obviously children."

Phone and power lines have been down and some bridges and roads have been closed as a precaution against aftershocks.

Italy lies on two fault lines and has been hit by powerful earthquakes in the past, mainly in the south of the country.

MAJOR ITALIAN QUAKES 2002 - 30 die, including 27 pupils and their teacher, in the southern town of San Giuliano di Puglia 1997 - 13 die and priceless cultural heritage lost in the central Umbria region 1980 - Nearly 3,000 people die, some 9,000 injured and 30,000 displaced near Naples

World leaders have sent messages of condolence and Pope Benedict XVI offered prayers for the "victims, especially the children".

The EU, Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Israel and Russia immediately stepped forward with offers of aid, if required.