Pope Francis sent Vatican firefighters and gendarmes to assist the population

It was 3:36 a.m. on 24 August 2016 when a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the central Apennine mountain range, near the border between the regions of Lazio, Umbria, Marches and Abruzzo. The epicentre was located between Accumoli and Amatrice, towns that were devastated along with Arquata del Tronto.