Close to 300 were killed and tens of thousands left homeless in central after a powerful earthquake shook a mountain region, severely damaging a historic city and leaving hundreds feared trapped in rubble.The 6.3-magnitude tremor, which struck at 3.32am local time (2.32am BST), was the country's deadliest since the Irpinia quake in the south in November 1980.L'Aquila, which has about 70,000 residents, suffered severe damage to around two-thirds of its buildings, including several architecturally significant churches. Some villages nearby in the central Italian region were all but flattened. In one village, Onna, rescue workers found 39 of the 300 inhabitants had been killed.Up to 70,000 people are currently unable to live in their homes in the town.
