Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake In Central Italy Kills Scores Of People

"A powerful earthquake shook central Italy overnight, killing at least 73 people, according to Italy's civil protection agency, and destroying large swaths of several towns. Victims are still being pulled from the rubble, and the full extent of the devastation is not yet clear."

"The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the quake, which was centered about 100 miles northeast of Rome, had a magnitude of 6.2 and was shallow — at a depth of just over 6 miles."

"Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto, in the Apennine Mountains, are among the hardest-hit towns. They're small in size but popular as tourist destinations — and August is a prime time for vacations in the area."

"'A lot of the officials are lamenting that these are tiny towns but their populations swell in the summer, specifically because they are very sought-after vacation getaways,' Associated Press reporter Nicole Winfield told NPR."

"'So the tiny town of Accumoli ... the mayor said is only a population of 700 but it swells to about 2,500 in the summer,' she says, raising concerns about high casualty numbers."