Powerful earthquake in central Italy kills 50
Firefighters remove debris in the city of L'Aquila, after a strong earthquake rocked central Italy, early Monday, April 6, 2009. A powerful earthquake struck central Italy early Monday, killing at least 16 people, collapsing buildings and leaving thousands of people homeless, officials and news reports said. Officials said the death toll was likely to rise as rescue crews made their way through the debris. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
L'AQUILA, Italy – A powerful earthquake in mountainous central Italy knocked down whole blocks of buildings early Monday as residents slept, killing at least 50 people and trapping many more, officials said. Thousands were homeless.
The earthquake's epicenter was about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northeast of Rome near the medieval city of L'Aquila. It struck at 3:32 a.m. local time (0132 GMT) in a quake-prone region that has had at least nine smaller jolts since the beginning of April. The U.S. Geological Survey said Monday's quake was magnitude 6.3, but Italy's National Institute of Geophysics put it at 5.8.
Interior Minister Roberto Moroni, arriving in L'Aquila hours after the quake, said 50 people had been killed.
Officials said the death toll was likely to rise as rescue crews clawed through the debris of fallen homes.
L'Aquila Mayor Massimo Cialente said some 100,000 people had left their homes and that many buildings in the city's historic center were damaged. Slabs of walls, twisted steel supports, furniture and wire fences were strewn about the streets and a gray dust carpeted sidewalks, cars and residents.
As ambulances screamed through the city, firefighters aided by dogs worked feverishly to reach people trapped in fallen buildings, including a student dormitory where half a dozen university students were believed still inside.
Outside the half-collapsed dorm, tearful young people huddled together, wrapped in blankets, some still in their slippers after being roused from sleep by the quake.
"We managed to come down with other students but we had to sneak through a hole in the stairs as the whole floor came down," said student Luigi Alfonsi, 22. "I was in bed — it was like it would never end as I heard pieces of the building collapse around me."
The town of Castelnuovo also appeared hard hit, with five confirmed dead there.
Premier Silvio Berlusconi declared a state of emergency, freeing up federal funds to deal with the disaster. He canceled a visit to Russia and planned to go to L'Aquila to deal with the crisis.
Residents and rescue workers hauled away debris from collapsed buildings by hand.
Firefighters pulled a woman covered in dust from the debris of her four-story home. Rescue crews demanded quiet as they listened for signs of life from other people believed still trapped inside.
Parts of L'Aquila's main hospital were evacuated because they were at risk of collapse, forcing the wounded to be treated in the open air or taken elsewhere.
Bloodied victims waited to be tended to in hospital hallways or outside in the hospital courtyard. Only two operating rooms were working. Civil protection crews were erecting a field hospital to deal with the influx of wounded.
On the city's dusty streets, as aftershocks continued to rumble through, residents hugged one another, prayed quietly or frantically tried to call relatives. Residents covered in dust pushed carts full of clothes and blankets that they had hastily packed before fleeing their homes.
"We left as soon as we felt the first tremors," said Antonio D'Ostilio, 22, as he stood on a street in L'Aquila with a huge suitcase piled with clothes he had thrown together. "We woke up all of a sudden and we immediately ran downstairs in our pajamas."
Agostino Miozzo, an official with the Civil Protection Department, said between 10,000 and 15,000 buildings were damaged. He said stadiums and sporting fields were being readied to house the homeless.
"This means that the we'll have several thousand people to assist over the next few weeks and months," Miozzo told Sky Italia. "Our goal is to give shelter to all by tonight."
ANSA said the dome of a church in L'Aquila collapsed, while the city's cathedral also suffered damage.
The Israeli Embassy in Rome said that officials were trying to make contact with a few Israeli citizens believed to be in the region who had not been in touch with their families. Embassy spokeswoman Rachel Feinmesser did not give an exact number.
L'Aquila lies in a valley surrounded by the Apennine mountains. It is the regional capital of the Abruzzo region, with about 70,000 inhabitants.
The last major quake to hit central Italy was a 5.4-magnitude temblor that struck the south-central Molise region on Oct. 31, 2002, killing 28 people, including 27 children who died when their school collapsed.
Lincoln C concept vehicle
The Lincoln C concept vehicle is introduced during a press preview at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. Automakers put on a brave face as they introduced new models at the Detroit auto show amid a collapse of industry sales that could lead to the disappearance of iconic brands.(Agencies)
The new Ford Lincoln C Concept vehicle is introduced to the media during the press preview for the Detroit International Auto Show at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. Automakers put on a brave face as they introduced new models at the Detroit auto show amid a collapse of industry sales that could lead to the disappearance of iconic brands.(Agencies)
The Lincoln C concept vehicle is introduced during a press preview at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. Automakers put on a brave face as they introduced new models at the Detroit auto show amid a collapse of industry sales that could lead to the disappearance of iconic brands.
Space shuttle Discovery readies for Feb. launch
Space shuttle Discovery readies for Feb. launch
Space shuttle Discovery atop the crawler transporter nears the end of it's 3.4 mile journey to pad 39A to prepare for the next launch at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009. Discovery is scheduled to launch on Feb. 12. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Space shuttle Discovery makes it's 3.4 mile journey atop the crawler transporter to pad 39A to prepare for the next launch at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009. Discovery is scheduled to launch on Feb. 12. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Space shuttle Discovery nears the end of it's 3.4 mile journey atop the crawler transporter to pad 39A to prepare for the next launch at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009. Discovery is scheduled to launch on Feb. 12. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
NASA has moved space shuttle Discovery to its launch pad for a February supply run to the international space station.
Discovery moved out to the pad Wednesday. Seven astronauts are scheduled to blast off around sunrise Feb. 12 with the space station's final set of solar wings. The crew will conduct four spacewalks to hook up the new equipment and perform maintenance.
The space shuttle also will deliver, if it's ready, a machine designed to turn astronauts' urine into safe drinking water. A similar processor that went up in November is not working, and bringing it home could help engineers understand what's wrong.
One of Discovery's crew — Koichi Wakata — will replace an astronaut on the orbiting outpost and become the first Japanese to live up there.
(Agencies)
Detroit Auto Show
Chinese eco-cars make a splash at Detroit Auto Show
China's BYD F3DM, powered by electric motors and gasoline engine, is displayed at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), in Detroit, the United States, January 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Hu Guangyao)
China's BYD E6, a pure electric vehicle, is displayed at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), in Detroit, the United States, January 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Hu Guangyao)
China's BYD F6DM, powered by electric motors and gasoline engine, is displayed at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), in Detroit, the United States, January 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Hu Guangyao)
DETROIT, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Over 1,000 journalists and industry experts swarmed BYD Auto's news conference Monday, an almost unprecedented scene for Chinese car makers in the history of the renowned Detroit Auto Show.
The Shenzhen-based Chinese carmaker launched the world's first commercialized plug-in electric vehicle at the Detroit show Monday, a move described by some as a silver lining amid the pall of gloom cast by the global financial slump.
A host of major U.S. media, including ABC and Wall Street Journal, provided lavish coverage to the official debut of BYD's "e6," which can run up to 250 miles (over 402 km) purely on battery power.
Last month, BYD launched its plug-in hybrid F3DM, which it also exhibited at the show, at least a year prior to General Motors' most anticipated Volt, F3DM's counterpart.
So far, only the legendary U.S. auto giant and Toyota have announced plans to bring out such vehicles by 2010.
"This is the first vehicle of its kind in the world," BYD's founder- Chairman Wang Huafu told assembled reporters.
"The core enabling technology is the BYD Fe battery...(which) will have a lifetime of over 10 years, and has the capacity to be charged 50 percent in 10 minutes."
"Our goal is to introduce BYD electric vehicles here in 2011 and set up our manufacturing facilities in the U.S. when it is appropriate," Wang added.
European and U.S. industry insiders have begun to take Chinese car makers "very seriously," said Peter Rawlinson, chief executive of PFPR Communications, a leading British automotive PR consultancy.
"With the advanced propulsion technology, the quality, proved reliability, good value and hopefully good price," BYD is going to "make it big," he told Xinhua.
Rawlinson noted that the fervent attention from Western customers would actually shore up the Chinese carmaker in its effort to enter the U.S. auto market and "Europe, too."
In terms of marketing strategies, Rawlinson suggested BYD work with more independent business consultants as well as industry critics, who he said would "step back and point out areas that BYD can improve upon."
Brian Henderson, an independent auto analyst, was very impressed by BYD's background as a renowned battery manufacturer.
BYD produces 70 percent of its vehicle parts including all core parts including the battery, and exports to more than 20 countries, with Russia as its main customer.
Eco-friendly products are the future of the auto industry and China leads the way in the practical use of electric power in autoproduction, Henderson said.
The American analyst, who has worked with Japanese automakers, told Xinhua BYD has apparently learned from other successful automakers before going this far to present such a revolutionary product.
However, it will take more effort and time for BYD to enter the United States, one of the world's most competitive markets, he said.
Aside from advanced technologies, quality and proved reliability still hold the key to business success, he noted.
Henderson highlighted the urgent need for Chinese car producers like BYD to get better connected with potential U.S. customers, through such means as opening an office in the United States.
"You have to let your customers become familiar with your brand," he said.
He expressed strong approval of Chinese automakers' plans to recruit auto engineers in the Motor City, as Detroit is called, to bring on board top-notch talents to help further improve their products.
The potential profits Chinese automakers promise seem to have attracted some U.S. investors as the big three U.S. auto giants remain teetering on the verge of bankruptcy.
Max Holmes, president of China Car Distributors, showed intense interest in ushering BYD into the U.S. auto market.
Praising F3DM for its "advanced and feasible" technology and "appealing" design, Holmes said BYD's chances of capturing a share of the U.S. market was very "promising" if it passed crash and other safety tests.
BYD's plan to march into the United States is "ambitious but practical," he added.
Nevertheless, skepticism remains on the prospects of Chinese cars in their foray into U.S. markets, at least for now.
BYD might not be ready yet for the U.S. market, which always doubts the reliability and safety of a new car, said Todd Lassa, Detroit Editor of multimedia Motor Trend.
But he admitted BYD, especially with its F3DM, had made an "impressive debut" in Detroit.
