The toll in the earthquake that struck the beautiful Abruzzo region of Italy is nearing 100, with another 1,500 injured and 40,000-50,000 homeless. NYT report here…

The epicenter was in L’Aquila, a picturesque Medieval fortress hill town, where most of the deaths occurred, officials said. Aftershocks shuddered through the area, hampering rescue efforts as people clawed through the debris by hand, frantically seeking survivors.

“Some towns in the area have been virtually destroyed in their entirety,” Gianfranco Fini, speaker of the lower house of Parliament, said in Rome before the chamber observed a moment of silence…

…Reports from the areas said that at least 26 towns had been affected by the earthquake. Four children died in the hospital after their house collapsed, ANSA reported. A fifth child died in the village of Fossa, eight miles from L’Aquila.

And more…

Hundreds of L’Aquila’s 80,000 residents rushed from their houses and gathered in the central Piazza Duomo, where nuns from a local convent attended to frightened residents, ANSA reported.

“There are many palazzi that are cracked — walls have fallen in,” Joshua Brothers, an American missionary, told CNN. He also noted that a church in town had been badly damaged. “The bell tower has crumbled,” he said.

He said many people had poured out of their homes after the quake.

“There were people calling for people that they know. They were very worried,” he said. “Most people are outside with luggage.”

People in surrounding cities in the Abruzzo region and the neighboring Marche region also rushed into the streets, fearing their houses would collapse.

Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone sent a telegram in the name of Pope Benedict XVI to Archbishop Giuseppe Molinari of L’Aquila. Here is the text of the papal telegram:

“The dramatic news of the violent earthquake which struck the territory of the archdiocese has filled the Supreme Pontiff’s heart with consternation, and he charges Your Excellency to pass on the expression of his heartfelt participation in the suffering of the beloved people affected by the tragic event. Giving assurances of his fervent prayers for the victims, especially the children, His Holiness asks the Lord to bring comfort to their families and, while giving affectionate words of encouragement to the survivors and the people who in various ways are helping in the rescue operations, he sends everyone his special apostolic blessing”.