An earthquake rocked central Italy on Monday, killing at least 150 and leaving as many as 50,000 homeless according to Interior Minister Roberto Maroni. The magnitude 6.3 quake shook L’Aquila, 60 miles north of Rome in the pre-dawn, while many were still asleep.
People rushed into the streets to get away from the collapsing buildings. Many used their bare hands to dig through rubble in search of missing family members as they waited for help to arrive.
Most of the buildings are more than 100 years old. Churches and other historic structures are reported to have suffered significant damage. Narrow streets are proving to be difficult for rescue vehicles and equipment.
Phones and power lines are down and several field hospitals are being set up to treat the injured. Heavy damage in neighboring villages has also been reported.
See more photos and video of the disaster below.