The situation
On 24 August 2016, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck central Italy, 76 kilometres (47 miles) southeast from the city of Perugia. The quake hit at 03:36 (01:36 GMT), at the very shallow depth of 10km (six miles).
According to the Italian Red Cross, the number of people killed rose to 267 including (190 deaths in Rieti province and 57 deaths in Ascoli Piceno province1 ). At least 2,000 people have been left homeless. The number of people missing remains unconfirmed. According to the Italian Seismological database, approximately 637 aftershocks with a magnitude of 2 and higher have hit the area around Amatrice and the nearby towns of Pescara del Tronto, Arquataa del Tronto and Accumoli. These are taking a toll on survivors and have also hampered search and rescue efforts.
The Civil Protection department in Rome indicated nearly 400 people were being treated for injuries in hospitals and local media reported some 40 of them were in critical condition. On 26 August, the government reported a state of emergency for the regions of Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche and Umbria for a period of 180 days.
Civil Protection stated there are approximately 4,370 men and women from various operational structures of the Civil Protection such as fire service, military, police, Italian Red Cross, national volunteer organizations and local volunteers from Lazio, Marche and Umbria. Hundreds of emergency vehicles and more than 70 dog teams are involved in search and rescue activities. Local companies are providing essential services and relief items.
Some of the survivors are sleeping in tents set up by the emergency services while others are accommodated in reception centres. The Italian government has promised to rebuild the shattered houses. Most of the buildings in the area were built hundreds of years ago, long before any anti-seismic building norms were in place, helping to explain the widespread destruction. The government has allocated an initial 50 million Euros to cover relief efforts and immediate needs.