<blockquote>“Catastrophic calamities are coming upon the earth, not one of these days in the distant future, but soon—now! Torrential rains, unsettling weather patterns, violent storms, floods, famines, droughts, earthquakes increasing in frequency and intensity, volcanic eruptions, and a host of other signs of the times Jesus told us to watch for are happening now.”
<p style="text-align: right;">-Jim Bakker in “Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse”</p>
</blockquote>

At least 15 people died and thousands have been left homeless by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in the Emilia region of Italy. The quake struck at 9:03 a.m. local time sending residents and business employees racing into the street to avoid crumbling buildings.

There are multiple reports of people trapped beneath toppled buildings.

The Italian government has raised their estimate of people left homeless due to the quake to 14,000. Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has pledged government support to all impacted by the disaster.

Several aftershocks have followed including one that sent people back out into the streets around midday according to the BBC. In addition to family homes being destroyed several factories and office complexes were reduced to rubble.

Three of the confirmed dead were inside a factory that had been cleared yesterday following an earthquake on May 20th.