Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.8 Earthquake hits Myanmar.

6.1 Earthquake hits central Italy.

An earthquake devastated a string of mountainous towns over a swathe of central Italy early on Wednesday, trapping residents under hills of rubble, with at least 38 people believed killed and many missing. The quake struck in the early hours of the morning when most people were asleep, razing homes and buckling roads in a cluster of towns and villages some 140km east of Rome. The emergency services released an aerial photograph showing whole areas of the town of Amatrice flattened, while debris filled the streets of nearby Accumoli. “Now that daylight has come, we see that the situation is even more dreadful than we feared, with buildings collapsed, people trapped under the rubble and no sound of life,” said Accumoli mayor Stefano Petrucci. Wide cracks appeared like open wounds on the buildings that were still standing. “Three quarters of the town is not there anymore,” Amatrice mayor Sergio Pirozzi told state broadcaster RAI. “The aim now is to save as many lives as possible. There are voices under the rubble, we have to save the people there.” The earthquake caused damage to towns in three regions, Umbria, Lazio and Marche.

6.0 Earthquake hits the Flores Sea.

5.5 Earthquake hits central Italy.

5.2 Earthquake hits New Ireland, Papua New Guinea.

5.1 Earthquake hits central Italy.