A MASSIVE earthquake with a 6.4 magnitude has rocked Italy, flattening homes, destroying towns and killing at least 14 people.
The huge quake, felt as far away as Rome, has reduced the town of Amatrice to "rubble" and badly damaged nearby towns of Norcia and Accumoli, leaving villagers trapped under the crumbled buildings.
Fourteen people have reportedly died in Arquata del Tronto, according to local news agencies, and the army and heavy equipment, including tanks and helicopters, are being mobilised to rescue the stricken villagers.
Mayor of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi, called the intense tremor a "tragedy", saying: "Four people are under the rubble, but they are not showing any sign of life. Two parents and two children."
The mayor now claims the town is completely cut off from rescue services after a massive landslide has badly damaged the surrounding transport links.
The town's hospital has also collapsed.
He said: "There has been a landslide on one road and the other connects us through a bridge that is about to collapse. People are gathering in sports centres. We don't have any power.
"The aim now is to save as many lives as possible. There are voices under the rubble, we have to save the people there.
In the nearby town of Arquata, the mayor says "all the houses have collapsed".
He said: "It's a disaster. We are trying to evacuate the village and move them to a sports field. I've just arrived and I feel like crying. I've never seen such an apocalyptic scene except for the L'Aquila earthquake on television."
Alessandro Mazzilli, of the Alpine emergency service of Rieti, said: "There are problems in Amatrice, we are heading that way."
Gas leaks have also been reported in the affected villages, hampering rescue efforts.
The worst hit towns were believed to be Accumoli, Amatrice, Posta and Arquata del Tronto
Lina Mercantini of Ceselli, Umbria, said: "It was so strong. It seemed the bed was walking across the room by itself with us on it."
lga Urbani, in the nearby town of Scheggino, said: "Dear God it was awful. The walls creaked and all the books fell off the shelves."
A 5.5 magnitude aftershock hit the same region an hour after the initial quake.
British tourists in Italy have spoken of their horror at feeling the deadly earthquake ripple across the country.
Sarah Conrad, who works for YouTube in London and is visiting the Italian capital, said she was woken up in the early hours and also felt aftershocks.
She tweeted: "Pretty sure I was just woken up by an earthquake in Rome.
"I thought someone snuck into my hotel room and was jumping on the bed. Both scary!"
Paul O' Halloran, whose Twitter profile says he was in Rome, said: "Just got woke up by an earthquake! Bed and window shutters moving!"
Toby Shaw, from Hampshire, tweeted: "I'm really hoping that I've just experienced an earthquake in Rome, otherwise I'm not sure I want to know what it was that shook the room."
According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre of the quake is located 47 miles south east the city of Perugia and was felt as far away as Rome.
The quake was followed by another smaller tremor registering 4.8 on the Rickter scale, striking around 2am local time.
The extent of the damage or the number of potential casualties is not yet known.
In 2009 a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in the Aquila region left more than 300 dead.
Another quake hit the northern Emilia Romagna region in May 2012 – leaving 23 people dead and 14,000 others homeless.
Fourteen people have reportedly died in Arquata del Tronto, according to local news agencies, and the army and heavy equipment, including tanks and helicopters, are being mobilised to rescue the stricken villagers.
Mayor of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi, called the intense tremor a "tragedy", saying: "Four people are under the rubble, but they are not showing any sign of life. Two parents and two children."
The mayor now claims the town is completely cut off from rescue services after a massive landslide has badly damaged the surrounding transport links.
The town's hospital has also collapsed.
He said: "There has been a landslide on one road and the other connects us through a bridge that is about to collapse. People are gathering in sports centres. We don't have any power.
In the nearby town of Arquata, the mayor says "all the houses have collapsed".
He said: "It's a disaster. We are trying to evacuate the village and move them to a sports field. I've just arrived and I feel like crying. I've never seen such an apocalyptic scene except for the L'Aquila earthquake on television."
Alessandro Mazzilli, of the Alpine emergency service of Rieti, said: "There are problems in Amatrice, we are heading that way."
Gas leaks have also been reported in the affected villages, hampering rescue efforts.
The worst hit towns were believed to be Accumoli, Amatrice, Posta and Arquata del Tronto
Lina Mercantini of Ceselli, Umbria, said: "It was so strong. It seemed the bed was walking across the room by itself with us on it."
lga Urbani, in the nearby town of Scheggino, said: "Dear God it was awful. The walls creaked and all the books fell off the shelves."
A 5.5 magnitude aftershock hit the same region an hour after the initial quake.
British tourists in Italy have spoken of their horror at feeling the deadly earthquake ripple across the country.
Sarah Conrad, who works for YouTube in London and is visiting the Italian capital, said she was woken up in the early hours and also felt aftershocks.
She tweeted: "Pretty sure I was just woken up by an earthquake in Rome.
"I thought someone snuck into my hotel room and was jumping on the bed. Both scary!"
Paul O' Halloran, whose Twitter profile says he was in Rome, said: "Just got woke up by an earthquake! Bed and window shutters moving!"
Toby Shaw, from Hampshire, tweeted: "I'm really hoping that I've just experienced an earthquake in Rome, otherwise I'm not sure I want to know what it was that shook the room."
According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre of the quake is located 47 miles south east the city of Perugia and was felt as far away as Rome.
The extent of the damage or the number of potential casualties is not yet known.
In 2009 a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in the Aquila region left more than 300 dead.
Another quake hit the northern Emilia Romagna region in May 2012 – leaving 23 people dead and 14,000 others homeless.
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