PM Donald Tusk and President Lech Kaczyński offered condolences to the victims and the families affected by the earthquake that ripped through central Italy this morning. The quake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale destroyed hundreds of homes in central Italy killing over 100 people, including manychildren. Thousands more were injured. According to the Polish Consul General in Rome, Jerzy Adamczyk, there are no Polish citizens among the victims. The Polish Embassy in Rome has launched a special hotline offering information about the current situation in the region.

The earthquake’s epicenter was three miles from the city of l’Aquila, in the mountainous region of Abruzzo some 100 kilometres north of Rome.