Italy earthquake leaves at least 120 dead
A deadly earthquake rocked central Italy overnight leaving an unknown number of people trapped beneath rubble.
The 6.2 magnitude quake – which struck at 3:36am local time 65 miles north-east of Rome – has left at least 120 people dead and many more missing, as rescuers search for survivors.
The army was mobilised to help with special heavy equipment and the treasury released €235m (£177m) of emergency funds.
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Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has paid tribute to those who aided survivors during the night.
"No one will be left alone, no family, no community, no neighbourhood," he said. "We must get down to work… to restore hope to this area which has been so badly hit."
Italy sits on two fault lines, making it one of the most seismically active countries in Europe. The last major earthquake to hit the country struck the central city of L'Aquila in 2009, killing more than 300 people.
Earlier trading on financial markets around Europe was subdued, though most indexes have now recovered.
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Italy's main market – the FTSE MIB – is trading up 0.8 per cent, with Insurance firm Generali bouncing back after taking a one per cent hit.
The FTSE 100 is lagging other European indices, down 0.2 per cent, dragged down by mining companies, which have been hit by the sliding price of oil and other commodities.
Meanwhile, US markets have had mixed start to the day so far.