Two men hug each other as people and volunteers stand amidst debris in the city of L'Aquila after the earthquake

At least 50 people were killed in an earthquake that rocked central Italy today. Thousands were left homeless and there were fears the toll could rise.

Rescuers were continuing to search through the rubble of hundreds of collapsed buildings.

For the full story and pictures see today’s Shropshire Star

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi flew to the quake’s epicentre near the medieval city of L’Aquila, about 70 miles from Rome, after declaring a state of emergency.

The 6.3 magnitude quake hit at 3.32am local time (02.32 BST) in a region that has had at least nine smaller jolts in the past few days.

L’Aquila’s mayor Massimo Cialente said 100,000 people had left their homes and that many buildings in the city’s historic centre were damaged. Slabs of walls, twisted steel supports, furniture and wire fences were strewn about the streets.

As ambulances screamed through the city, firefighters aided by tracker dogs worked to reach people trapped in fallen buildings, including a dormitory where half a dozen university students were believed to be.

The town of Castelnuovo also appeared hard hit, with five confirmed dead there.

Parts of L’Aquila’s main hospital were evacuated amid fears they could collapse, forcing the wounded to be treated in the open air or taken elsewhere. Victims waited to be tended to in hallways or outside in the courtyard. Only two operating rooms were working.

Civil protection crews were erecting a field hospital to deal with the influx of wounded.

L’Aquila lies in a valley surrounded by the Apennine mountains. It is the regional capital of the Abruzzo area, with about 70,000 inhabitants.