As most of you know, Italy was hit by a major earthquake early this morning. The quake struck in Italy’s central region, spanning Umbria, Le Marche, and Lazio, at 3:36 am local time while everyone was fast asleep. The old medieval buildings in Amatrice, Accumoli, and Arqua del Tronto collapsed – trapping hundreds inside.
The magnitude 6.1 quake has already claimed 120 lives and injured 370 – sadly, this figure is most likely to increase. The mayor of Amatrice reported that half the town is gone, meanwhile the mayor of Accumoli has said that there are no longer any homes that are habitable. Tents are being put up to house those displaced, and the many tourists in the area have been told to go home.
The before and after shots clearly show the devastation that has occurred in these beautifully picturesque small towns, whose stone structures have withstood centuries, and which have been wiped away in the span of a few seconds.
This is just completley devastating…towns wiped out and people displaced. Feeling so sad about the whole situation….
I know…it’s horribly sad. And what’s so incredible is that these buildings have been standing for hundreds of years in an area prone to earthquakes, yet managed to survive until now. The loss of so many lives breaks my heart.