07 April,2009 01:28 PM IST | | AFP
Rescuers raced against time on Tuesday to find survivors from a powerful earthquake that killed at least 179 people in central Italy as left tens of thousand homeless.
Rescue workers in the historic town L'Aquila said that more that 24 hours after the quake struck in the early hours of yesterday morning that 34 people were still reported missing.
Some 1,500 were injured in the quake, which measured magnitude 6.2 and damaged an estimated 10,000 buildings, many beyond repair, leaving up to 70,000 people homeless, according to a government estimate.
More than 100 people have been pulled alive from the rubble of Renaissance and Baroque buildings around L'Aquila.
The epicentre was under L'Aquila and massive destruction was reported for 30 kilometers (20 miles) in all directions from the town. The nearby villages of Villa Sant'Angelo and Borgo di Castelnuovo were practically wiped out. Many residents fled L'Aquila, some even on foot.
Others were lucky enough to find shelter in army barracks, stadiums and sports centres as overnight temperatures dipped. Rescue workers said 139 of the dead had already been identified, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
