Italy's worst earthquake in nearly three decades struck early Monday in the central region of Abruzzo, killing nearly 180 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless. As the death toll from the predawn quake rose throughout the day, the tragedy took a bitter twist as it emerged that a local seismologist had predicted a major tremor was on its way.Dozens of residents in the province of L'Aquila, some 80 miles (130 km) east of Rome, were crushed in their beds when the earthquake struck at 3:32 a.m. Aftershocks could be felt throughout the early-morning hours, with efforts to find survivors intensifying into dusk. The original quake, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, shook awake most residents in the Italian capital, and the effects could be felt as far away as Naples. It was the deadliest earthquake in Italy since the one that killed more than 2,500 people in the southern town of Irpinia in November 1980. - TIME Magazine
Working in almost total silence and using nothing but their bare hands to clear rubble, rescuers in Italy were engaged in a desperate race to save dozens of people thought to be buried alive after an earthquake which killed at least 150. - The Telegraph
Please spend a moment to pray together for the victims of the natural disaster:
- for the souls of those who have been killed – that they may be welcomed into the arms of our Father in Heaven;
- for those who have come away physically unharmed – that they may recognise their call to assist those in terrible need of help;
- for those who have been rescued – that they may be healed quickly of physical pain, as well as the emotional and psychological scars they must be suffering from;
- for the countless people who are still trapped in rubbles – that they hold on to hope of being helped, and trust in Jesus; we also pray that Jesus will be with the victims to comfort them and assure them of His love for each of them;
- for the thousands of people who have been left homeless – that once they not lose hope in themselves, but work together to rebuild their lives;
- for the local authorites – that they maintain calm and act in a caring manner to handle this calamity;
- for the world watching – that all will pray for the safety and well-being of every person involved; we also pray that every member of the world family will do what they can to help (morally and financially);
- for all Catholics suffering this plight – that they may find this an opportunity to join their sufferings with that of Christ Jesus, who was buried in the rubble of all our sins.
Let's offer five decades of the Holy Rosary for these brothers and sisters of ours. If you are non-Catholic, please join us in any other way to pray for the victims.
If you're intending to pray for the victims with your computers on, this slideshow and this slideshow by the Financial Times, as well as these pictures by TIME Magazine may aid you to pray better.
Some sources of the news:
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