Update 4 - Deadly Italian Earthquake Kills 120

At least 120 people were killed after an earthquake struck central Italy on Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said.



"Today, we are going through hard times. The casualties are seen mostly in three areas. So far, 120 people have lost their lives," Renzi said in a statement, adding he feared the death toll would rise further.



Flags would fly at half-mast outside the Italian prime minister's office Wednesday and Thursday for the victims of the earthquake.



Earlier, the Italian Civil Protection Department said the hardest-hit towns were Lazio town of Amatrice and the nearby Accumoli.



Italian news agency ANSA reported numerous people were still trapped under the rubble in Accumoli, Amatrice and Pescara del Tronto following the earthquake, which struck at 3.36 a.m. local time (1336 GMT) and was followed by several aftershocks.



The U.S. Geological Survey reported that a 6.2-magnitude earthquake had struck at a shallow depth, 10 kilometers (six miles) southeast of Norcia -- a town in Perugia, central Italy.



The organization said the earthquake occurred as a result of shallow normal faulting on a northwest-southeast oriented fault in the Central Apennines.



ANSA "ed Renzi as vowing to "leave no one on their own - not one family, one town or one village," before visiting the scene.



"The priority right now is to dig," he said.



In addition, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement the country was "standing by Italy in its difficult time.



"[Turkey] is ready to any help if necessary."



The U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, offered his condolences to Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni during a phone call on Wednesday, according to the State Department. He also offered any U.S. aid "that Italy might require".



"The secretary pledged to stay in close contact as search, rescue and recovery efforts continue," spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.



Christos Stylianides, EU commissioner for humanitarian aid, said in a statement: "The EU is ready to help.



"At the moment, the Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre is closely monitoring the situation and has already been in contact with the Italian civil protection authorities during the night regarding any help which could be requested," he added.



In comments reported by ANSA, Pope Francis, speaking in the Vatican's St. Peter's Square before 11,000 faithful, said he felt "great pain" over the deaths, adding he was with all those "who have lost loved ones and those who still feel shaken by fear."



The Central Apennine region has experienced several significant quakes in recorded history, including the April 2009 6.3-magnitude earthquake, which struck near the town of L'Aquila, killing at least 295 people, injuring over 1,000 and leaving around 55,000 homeless. -