Italy earthquake leaves 21 dead, Amatrice town in ruins

By Madison Park and Faith Karimi, CNN

Updated 3:48 AM ET, Wed August 24, 2016

(CNN)A strong earthquake hit central Italy, leaving terrified residents huddled outside collapsed buildings[坍塌的建筑] overnight and an unknown number of people trapped beneath the rubble[碎石;瓦砾].

At least 21 people died following the 6.2-magnitude earthquake early Wednesday, according to CNN affiliate Rai[1].

The earthquake hit 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) southeast of Norcia at 3:36 a.m., the United States Geological Survey said. Its tremors[轻微地震,小地震] rattled[2] Rome -- about 100 miles away.

►►►'Town is no more'

In Amatrice, buildings collapsed and left the mountainous town[山区小镇] in ruins.

"The town is no more," Mayor Sergio Pirozzi told the affiliate. "I have an appeal to make: we have access roads[通道] to the town cut off and people under the rubble, help us."

He said there was no power, and it was crucial for rescue crews[营救人员;搜救小组] to get to the town.

Rescue workers called Amatrice residents' cellphones, and tried to get to those who answered, the affiliate reported. If there was no answer, rescuers moved on to the next person.

While the number of people trapped under the rubble is unknown, rescuers are focusing on finding survivors, said Fabrizio Curcio, head of Italy's civil protection.

"I ask you to be patient in terms of numbers," Curcio told the affiliate.

"We don't have any more light (electricity) and it is urgent to clear the access roads," he said.

Tommaso della Longa, a spokesman for the Red Cross[红十字会], said the images coming out of Amatrice are grim[严酷的;令人担忧的;令人沮丧的].

"The picture we got from our delegate in Amatrice are telling us a terrible story of a small city almost completely destroyed," he said. "The situation is difficult at the moment."

The priority is to find survivors, he said.

"These areas are in central Italy and are in middle of mountains and valleys," he said. "There are small houses in the middle of the valley that are completely alone and they need help. It'll take some time to reach them."

►►►'Lasted for at least 30 seconds'.

Charlotte Smith, coach of Elon University[依隆大学] women's basketball team in North Carolina[北卡罗莱纳州], was in Rome with her players when the quake hit.

"It lasted for at least 30 seconds. The entire hotel was shaking," she said. "I went down to the lobby[大厅] and there were a lot of people waiting there. ... Then an earthquake happened 30 minutes later."

She said their flight is still on schedule to leave for the United States later Wednesday.

Michael Gilroy was on the second floor of a three-story building[三层建筑] in Montepulciano[蒙特普齐亚诺] when the earthquake hit.

"It felt like the bed was on rollers," he said.

"It was initially very confusing. I'm from California and had a sense of what it may be. And we ran out to the main area and the chandelier[枝形吊灯] was swaying[3] back and forth[反复地,来回地]. At that point, we knew we had to get out of the building as fast as we can."

Gilroy, his girlfriend and other hotel guests waited outside in a clear area.

"We're going to wait for daylight and see what happens from there," he said.

►►►Aftershocks

About an hour after the earthquake, a 5.5-magnitude aftershock[余震] hit near Norcia, one of several that followed.

"At that shallowness and magnitude of 6.2, we're going to expect lots of aftershocks for next several hours and maybe the next several days," said Jessica Turner of the USGS[美国地质勘探局(United States Geological Survey)].

Landslides[滑坡] are likely because the earthquake struck in a mountainous area, she said.

Although the extent of damage and injuries was not immediately clear, the earthquake could be devastating.

"Overall, the population in this region resides in[居住;存在于] structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake resistant construction[易受损建筑和抗震建筑的混合->有的抗震有的不抗震?]," the USGS said.

It described the buildings as un-reinforced[无钢筋的;不加固的] brick with mud and concrete frame[泥浆和混凝土排架] with infill construction.

The Italian Civil Protection has mobilized[调动;出动] three helicopters, six vehicles and a mobile convoy[(尤指有士兵护送的)车队;船队] to the affected areas. It plans to set up mobile medical or triage[4] units.

It said the biggest damage appears to be in Amatrice and Accumoli in Lazio region, and the Umbria and Marche regions.

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[1]affiliate [ə'fɪlɪeɪt]

an organization that is connected with or controlled by another, usually larger, organization 隶属机构，分支机构

Our college is an affiliate of the university.

我们学院隶属于这所大学。

Rai：意大利广播电视公司（意大利语Rai - Radiotelevisione Italiana），简称RAI

[2]rattle：to worry someone or make someone nervous 烦扰；使慌乱；使紧张

The creaking upstairs was starting to rattle me.

楼上发出的吱嘎声使我开始紧张不安起来。

[3]sway：to move slowly from side to side 摇摆，摆动

The trees were swaying in the wind.

树在风中摇曳。

[4]triage：Triage is the process of quickly examining sick or injured people, for example, after an accident or a battle, so that those who are in the most serious condition can be treated first. (如事故、战斗后迅速查看伤员以决定哪些人应优先治疗的)伤病员鉴别分类

...the triage process

...伤病员鉴别分类过程。

[5]本文原文摘自CNN：http://t.cn/RtdxMqo

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