WATCH: Massive earth quake hits Italy
A post office is engulfed by rubble in Arcuata del Tronto, central Italy, where a 6.1 earthquake struck just after 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
The quake was felt across a broad section of central Italy, including the capital Rome where people in homes in the historic center felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks.
Rescuers search a crumbled building in Arcuata del Tronto, central Italy, where the 6.1 earthquake struck.
Many buildings in center of Amatrice were razed by the quake.
As dawn broke, residents with shovels and emergency workers with bulldozers were beginning to try to reach people trapped under the debris and clear blocked roads.
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The mayor of the quake-hit town of Accumoli says a family of four has been located under the debris of a collapsed building and but there are no signs of life.
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Mayor Stefano Petrucci told state-run RaiNews24 that there was also another victim in the town, which is close to the epicenter of Italy’s 6.1 magnitude quake.
Officials say Accumoli and Amatrice have been the hardest hit by the quake. Residents across a broad swath of central Italy felt the temblor, which struck at 3:36 a.m. and sent people running into the streets.