[Al Arabiya Latest] A powerful earthquake struck central Italy as residents slept on Monday morning, killing at least 150 people and leaving 1,500 injured."Some towns in the area have been virtually destroyed in their entirety," a somber Gianfranco Fini, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said before the chamber observed a moment of silence.
The Italian news agency Ansa, quoting rescue workers, said the death toll had reached 92 nearly 12 hours after the quake struck.
Most of the dead were in L'Aquila, a 13th-century mountain city about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Rome, and surrounding towns and villages in the Abruzzo region.
Houses, historic churches were demolished and some 15,000 buildings were declared off limits in the worst quake to hit Italy in nearly 30 years.