Rescuers were digging through rubble with bare hands for survivors after a powerful earthquake hit central Italy Monday, killing at least dozens, leaving thousands homeless and virtually destroying many historic towns.

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said at least 50 people had died in the magnitude 6.3 quake, among them five children, according to the ANSA news agency.

The pre-dawn jolt struck near the historic college city of L'Aquila, about 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of the capital Rome, where tremors could be felt.

Frightened residents rushed into streets as the 30-second tremor struck while most were sleeping.

Buildings, many of them dating back to the 13th century, collapsed and boulders blocked roads.

Resident Maria Francesco told AFP: "It was the apocalypse, our house collapsed. It's destroyed, and there's nothing left to recovery.

Narrow medieval streets in L'Aquila and the mountain towns and villages close to the epicenter were making it difficult for rescue vehicles and equipment to access some areas. See CNN map showing epicenter

Journalist Delia Gallagher said rescuers were forced to use their hands to dig through ruined buildings in the hunt for survivors.

She described how one woman was pulled alive from the wreckage of a building that had collapsed. Ten hours after the quake hit, rescuers were trying to listen for more survivors.

Churches and other historic structures suffered badly, according to Joshua Brothers, an American Missionary in L'Aquila.

"If you look along the way there are many palazzi that are cracked, walls have fallen in on some of them," he told CNN.

"Most of the buildings in the city center are more than a 100 years old, and so they have walls that are a lot weaker than other palazzi that are made of reinforced concrete. So there were a lot more damages actually inside the city."

With some areas yet to report the extent of the damage, the death toll was expected to rise. Watch on CNN how the earthquake has impacted region »

Local police told CNN the toll in L'Aquila alone was 50.

Italy's Prime Minister SilvioBerlusconi, who canceled a trip to Moscow so he could visit the affected area, declared a state of emergency after the quake.

Pope Benedict XVI was praying for the "victims, especially the children," killed in the quake, the Vatican said, according to ANSA.

In Turkey, U.S. President Barack Obama expressed his concerns for those affected.

"We want to send our condolences to the families there and hope we are able to get rescue teams in and minimize the damage as much as possible," he said.

Tens of thousands of people have been put out of their homes, according to the mayor of L'Aquila. Many of the homeless were being taken to the city's main stadium.

Part of the region is without electricity, and crews were checking for gas leaks.

Gallagher said she saw residents carrying their remaining possessions in battered suitcases as they walked away from ruined areas.

The earthquake followed less than six hours after another quake hit the northern part of the country, the U.S.G.S. reported.

And three significant aftershocks -- ranging from magnitude 4.3 to 4.8 -- shook the area within six hours of the 6.3 quake.

L'Aquila is the capital of the central Italian Abruzzo region. Earthquakes are common in the region and residents are reportedly taught to go out into open areas as soon as a quake strikes.

Italy itself is crossed by two geological faultlines, making it one of the most earthquake-prone countries in Europe.

On Sunday evening, a 4.6-magnitude jolt shook the country's north, about 55 km (35 miles) southeast of Bologna, according to meteorologists. A 6.5-magnitude quake in southern Italy in 1980 killed nearly 3,000 people. Other quakes in 1908, 1915 and 1930 killed tens of thousands

Source;
Heda Messia, Doens Dead in Italian Earthquake, http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/04/06/italy.quake/index.html