Massive earthquake hits Italy

At least 90 people, including several children, have been killed after a strong earthquake destroyed thousands of buildings in central Italy.

Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, declared a state of emergency after the magnitude 6.3 quake struck near the city of L'Aquila, in the mountainous Abruzzo region east of Rome, early on Monday morning."Thousands of people [could be left] homeless and thousands of buildings collapsed or damaged," Agostino Miozzo, an official at the civil protection ministry, said.

Local news agencies reported that people were feared trapped under the rubble as rescue workers in the area said the death toll had risen to 92.