Powerful quake kills 27 in Italy

At least 27 people were killed and many more injured when a powerful earthquake rocked central Italy.

Civil Protection Department official Agostino Miozzo said thousands of people had been left homeless.

Houses,
churches and other buildings collapsed in the 13th century city of
L'Aquila, about 60 miles east of Rome, and surrounding villages.

Four children were reported killed in one building in L'Aquila, and seven other people died in two outlying villages.

A
number of people are thought to be still trapped under rubble in
L'Aquila and outlying areas from the quake, which measured 6.3 on the
Richter scale - the strongest earthquake to hit Italy in years,
officials said.

The quake struck shortly after 3.30am (0130 GMT) and was centred in the mountainous Abruzzo region east of Rome.

Residents
in many parts of central Italy felt the quake and some ran out into the
streets. People of Rome, which is rarely hit by seismic activity, were
woken by the quake, as furniture rattled, lights swayed and car alarms
went off.

The US Geological Survey said the quake's epicentre was believed to be 60 miles from Rome at a depth of 6.2 miles.

Rubble
blocked most of the old streets in L'Aquila, burying some parked cars,
and some modern structures on the outskirts of the city had also
collapsed.

Part of the city's university residence lay in ruins but it was not clear if anyone was inside.

The quake was the latest and strongest in a series to hit the l'Aquila area on Sunday and Monday.

Earthquakes can be particularly dangerous in parts of Italy because some buildings are centuries-old.

What's sad about this is officials were told yet chose to ignore the warnings.