Earthquake devastated Amatrice 5 years ago today.

Italian prime minister Mario Draghi will travel to Amatrice on Tuesday morning to attend ceremonies in honour of the victims of the deadly earthquake that hit the area five years ago today.

Draghi will place a wreath on a monument to the victims of the earthquake followed by attending a Mass in remembrance of the 303 people who died in the disaster.

The religious ceremony will be broadcast live on Italian state television channel RAI 1, starting from 11.00.

• Pope visits earthquake-hit Amatrice

The 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck at 03.36 on 24 August 2016 in an area near the borders of the Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzo and Marche regions.

The quake devastated Amatrice and Accumoli, leading to 303 fatalities: 299 of whom died under the rubble that night, and four in the months following the disaster due to their injuries.

The massive earthquake damaged 140 towns and villages in the region, injuring 388 people and displacing about 41,000, many of whom are still waiting for their homes to be reconstructed five years later.

Photo credit: Jose Carlos Alexandre/Shutterstock.