L'Aquila (Italy), Apr. 7 : Survivors who lived through the earthquake in the central Italian town of L''Aquila said the devastation was "like 20 seconds of hell".

The death toll has risen to 179, as rescue workers used mechanical diggers and their bare hands to search through the night for survivors.

At least 34 people are still missing, according to officials in the medieval mountain town located 60 miles east of Rome, reports The Telegraph.

Rome - The death toll from an earthquake that struck central Italy in the pre-dawn hours of Monday has risen to 179, reported the coordinating centre for rescue services from the battered town of L'Aquila.

Of the dead, 40 bodies still need to be identified. An additional 34 people are still missing more than 24 hours after the earthquake, which registered between 5.8 and 6.2 on the Richter scale.

London, April 7: Scientists have said that Italy is prone to earthquakes because it sits at the junction of two tectonic plates, leaving 40 per cent of the population of the country at risk.

Seven years ago, 30 people died – including 27 schoolchildren and their teacher – during a quake centred on the southern town of San Giuliano di Puglia.

Central Umbria was shattered by a disturbance 12 years ago, which killed 13 people and destroyed hundreds of historic buildings.

Rome, Apr. 7 : The 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck central Italy on Monday morning has damaged at least four old churches.

The Italian Culture Ministry said the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, a striking pink-and-white stone-faced structure, was among the buildings severely damaged.

It is known for its architecture and for an annual pilgrimage to honor 13th-century Pope Celestine V, a former hermit who was both crowned and buried there.

L'Aquila, Italy  - Aftershocks as strong as magnitude 4.8 on the Richter scale continued to rock central Italy overnight Monday, the ANSA news agency reported.

Civil defense officials said it was the strongest since the major earthquake before dawn Monday, which struck the ancient town of L'Aquila and the surrounding mountains, about 100 kilometres north- east of Rome. That quake has been estimated at a magnitude of 6.2, and the death toll climbed late Monday to more than 150.

Another aftershock reached a magnitude of 3.6.