Italy Earthquake Death Toll Mounts...

At least 40 people are reported dead and dozens are missing in an earthquake which has flattened homes in central Italy.

Officials in the town of L'Aquila, at the centre of the region in Italy hit by the earthquake, say they believe there are people still trapped under collapsed buildings.

At least 40 people are reported dead and dozens are missing in an earthquake which has flattened homes in central Italy.

Four children were killed after their house in L'Aquila collapsed, while another child and an elderly woman died in the nearby town of Fossa.

Italian news reports said they died after ''the side of a mountain'' crashed onto the village and that residents were now on a playing field waiting for help.

Five people were also killed in the village of Castelnuovo but civil protection officials said they feared the figure would rise.

Sirens blared across the city as rescue workers raced to find people in the rubble.

Thousands of the city's 60,000 residents fled into the streets fearing aftershocks.

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cancelled a planned trip to Moscow after hearing of the quake.

And the Pope led prayers for the victims at the Vatican.

Guido Bertolaso, head of the Italian Civil Defence, said: ''Many, many buildings have collapsed and there are people trapped inside.

''Emergency services are travelling to the scene and we are working on rescuing people who are trapped.

''Thousands of people have been left homeless and we are providing emergency shelters such as tents for them.''

He added: ''This is the worst disaster to have hit Italy in the last ten years and I would appeal to people not to go to the area.''

Emergency services were also focusing their attention on a university hall of residence in L'Aquila which had partially collapsed with students inside.

The town's university hospital was declared 'off-limits' for fear it would collapse and the worst victims were being taken by helicopter to other cities.

Matthew Peacock, who lives with his wife and child in the Umbrian town of Amelia told Sky News: "It felt like the house was being shaken from the rooftop - my bed was banging against the wall and you could hear this creaking.

"I rushed across the hallway to my son, who's five, grabbed him and stood underneath the doorway. The shaking went on for 20 seconds or so."

The area around L'Aquila has been the scene of intense earthquake activity since October.

Before last night's tremor there was another smaller one around midnight which measured 4.6 on the Richter scale.

Aquila is a picturesque medieval town and has been hit by severe tremors twice before in 1461 and 1703. Both times the city was virtually destroyed.

To aid emergency services the main motorway linking Rome to Aquila was closed while airspace was also shut down so that helicopters could fly in with tents and other supplies.

Rafael Abreu, of the US Geological Survey, told Sky News the quake happened at 3.32am local time.

"This is a significant earthquake," he said. "This is a shallow quake but there is definitely a possibility of damage and even injuries."