Photos: At least 22 dead, more feared buried under rubble as 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocks central Italy

A powerful earthquake rocked Italy overnight killing at least 22 people. People were crushed by falling buildings and a lot more buried alive under rubble as they slept. The 6.2-magnitude quake hit at around 3.30am local time and was so powerful it rocked buildings in the centre of Rome more than 100 miles away and was felt across Italy. As daylight dawned, residents, civil protection workers and even priests began digging out with shovels, bulldozers and their bare hands, trying to reach survivors.

Survivors have described apocalyptic scenes in towns and villages near the city of Perugia - the capital of the tourist-packed Umbrian region, which is especially popular with British holidaymakers. Its epicentre was in Norcia in Umbria, about 105 miles north east of Rome, while the hardest-hit towns were reported as Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto.

As people were carried out of ruined buildings on stretchers and people desperately searched the debris for survivors or sobbed as they inspected their own ruined homes, Mayor of Accumoli, Stefano Petrucci, said this morning: 'My town isn't here anymore'.

More photos after the cut. ..