Italy earthquake: Lily Allen confirms she and family are safe after leaving holiday in Umbria early for funeral

The singer Lily Allen has confirmed she is safe after leaving a family holiday in Italy early, shortly before an earthquake struck a mountainous area of central Italy.

At least 73 people have died after the magnitude 6.2 quake hit areas in the centre, including Rome.

Allen was on holiday in Umbria, where the earthquake hit near the town of Norcia, a popular tourist destination.

She said she felt “blessed” that her family is safe after such devastating scenes and thanked people for their concerned tweets.

Witnesses have described ‘apocalyptic’ scenes in areas worst hit by the earthquake. Survivors are still being pulled from the rubble and the death toll is expected to rise.

“The town isn't here anymore,” the mayor of Amatrice in northern Lazio, one of the worst-hit areas, told journalists amid rubble and collapsed buildings. Other towns believed to be among the hardest hit include Accumoli, Amatrice, Posta and Arquata del Tronto, a spokesman for the Italian fire department Luca Cari told Reuters.