Italy earthquake death toll rises

The death toll from the earthquake in Italy has risen to 150.



And the number of people injured has been put at one thousand 500.



A desperate search for survivors is now on in and around the Italian city of L\'Aquila after the six point three magnitude quake hit near there.



Some five thousand rescuers are picking through rubble in the medieval city and nearby towns and villages, some of them said to have been destroyed.



Italy\'s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has declared a state of emergency in the region.



Its reported that a major earthquake in the L\'Aquila area was predicted by an Italian scientist several weeks ago.



But a spokesman for the Italian Civil Protection Agency, Dr Agostino Miozzo, said this was not possible as the area is not prone to quakes.