Italy: 15000 people in shelters after earthquake

28,000 people in central Italy have spent the night outdoors, in tents, or, the most fortunate of them along their relatives and friends, after the region was devastated by earthquakes and homes were destroyed. More than 15,000 people are being housed in temporary shelters after the powerful earthquake on Sunday that hit central Italy, a region that has been destroyed by repeated tremors since August.

Over 70 villages were affected by the earthquake. Tents were installed in the first aid area and more, the affected population has been accommodated in tents belonging to the army, the Civil Protection and the Red Cross. They provide food and medical assistance for those in need. The wounded number has not changed after yesterday: there are 20 people injured two of them in a serious condition. There were no dead people.

Titti Postiglione, spokeswoman for Italy's Civil Protection agency, told reporters Monday that the number of people in temporary shelter was expected to grow as the agency continued its work in affected areas. "We are working under extremely difficult conditions," she said. "The roads were already compromised after the previous quakes and now they're even worse."

Daniele Gatti, director of the Holiday Hotel in Porto Sant'Elpidio on the Adriatic Coast, said 500 people displaced by the earthquake were staying at the venue, including many elderly people and children. "People arrived yesterday in very traumatic conditions, but they seem to be doing better now as they are fitting in the place," he said. He said he had heard that the displaced people could be there for up to six months.

Dramatic images from the disaster zone show villages that appear entirely flattened, with historic buildings, including churches, crumbling when the quake struck 10 kilometers below the earth's surface.