A magnitude 6.2 earthquake has struck central Italy, leaving at least 37 people dead and 150 missing. Many of the dead were in the village of Pescara del Tronto which was levelled to the ground.
Much of the town of Amatrice was reduced to rubble and a family of four were feared dead nearby in Accumoli.
Quakes are an ever-present danger for those who live along the Apennine mountain range in Italy.
Mediterranean seismicity is driven by the great collision between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates; but when it comes down to the specifics of this latest quake, the details are far more complicated.
The Tyrrhenian Basin, or Sea, which lies to the west of Italy, between the mainland and Sardinia/Corsica, is slowly opening up.
Scientists say this is contributing to extension, or “pull-apart”, along the Apennines. This stress is compounded by movement in the east, in the Adriatic.
The result is a major fault system that runs the length of the mountain range with a series of smaller faults that fan off to the sides. The foundations of cities like Perugia and L’Aquila stand on top of it all.