Earthquake struck central Italy read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/682-earthquake-struck-central-italy

Many of the dead were in the village of Pescara del Tronto which was levelled to the ground and there were fears the number of casualties could rise.

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake has struck central Italy, leaving at least 37 people dead and 150 missing, as rescuers search for survivors.

The quake hit at 03:36, 01:36 GMT, 100km 65 miles north-east of Rome.

The quake was initially reported as being magnitude 6.4. It was followed by several powerful aftershocks

Although it struck at a shallow depth of 10km, its intensity was compared to the Aquila earthquake in April 2009 in which 309 people died. The epicentre was around Accumoli where several people died.

Seismologist Andrea Tertulliani said there were sure to be further, numerous shocks that would probably diminish in intensity. Rescue teams are being sent to the worst-hit areas

Local authorities were unsure of the full extent of casualties, but 11 people were reported dead including children in the neighboring villages of Pescara del Tronto and Arquata del Tronto. An elderly couple and a boy were among the victims.

Another 20 people have been taken to hospital. Two boys aged four and seven were pulled alive from the rubble of the house they had been staying in with their grandmother, Rescuers said they had been sheltering under a bed.