Quake kills more than 90 people, worst in Italy since 1980 * As many as 50,000 people could be homeless, official says * Berlusconi declares national emergency * Some towns almost totally wiped out, MP says
L'AQUILA, Italy, April 6 (Reuters) -- A powerful earthquake struck central Italy as residents slept Monday morning, killing more than 90 people and making up to 50,000 homeless.
"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 km (60 miles) east of Rome, and surrounding towns and villages in the Abruzzo region.
Houses, historic churches and other buildings were demolished in the worst quake to hit Italy in nearly 30 years. Hundreds of people were injured and some 15,000 buildings declared off limits. "I woke up hearing what sounded like a bomb," said Angela Palumbo, 87, said as she walked on a street in L'Aquila. "We managed to escape with things falling all around us. Everything was shaking, furniture falling. I don't remember ever seeing anything like this in my life," she said.
