The town of Ametrice destroyed. Initial reports are more than 20 killed.

Oh no! Prayers for all in the area.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...arthquake.html

I know, daily trash but pictures, but you see the damage.

No one killed in beautiful Norcia but there is extensive damage. Help is needed to rescue victims in these mountainous towns NE of Rome.

Another tragedy!!! Prayers and Deepest sympathy with Italy!

Apart from Amatrice, the towns most affected are Accumuli (Lazio), Pescara del Tronto, and Arquata del Tronto (both in Le Marche). All of these towns have largely been reduced to rubble.

We're at our summer house in southern Le Marche, near the Umbrian border, not far from the epicenter. We're still getting fairly strong aftershocks, but there's been little damage here.

Norcia, which was very near the epicenter, strangely had much less damage than towns that were a good deal farther away.

This is a beautiful area, very popular among Italians for summer vacations. Many people (like us) have summer homes here. It makes it very difficult to determine how many people are missing. One doesn't know whether the family that was in a fallen house is buried under the rubble, or if they went home yesterday.

Just waking up to this news on the west coast of the US. Holding you and others who have been impacted by the quake in my thoughts, bvlenci.

Bvlenci, stay safe. It is very difficult to rescue people and transport to hospitals they are saying. One man said it felt like someone was under his bed pushing him up and he was not in the worse of it.

Bvlenci--good to hear from you. I have been thinking of you since I heard the news.

247 dead, I was amazed though by the little girl they found after 17 hours, she seems ok physically.