At 3:36 a.m. in central Italy Wednesday, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked the Umbria region. The initial quake was followed by 200 aftershocks, the largest of which, at 4:33 a.m., was of 5.5-magnitude.

The town at the center of the earthquake is Amatrice, a historic Italian town with many old buildings, including some dating back to the Middle Ages. The mayor, Sergio Pirozzi, said that at this point “half the town no longer exists.”

“Hearing the mayor of Amatrice say that the town no longer exists and hearing that there are children among the victims, I am deeply saddened.”

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Currently, the death toll has reached 73 people, with many more unaccounted for as the search for survivors continues.

Pope Francis canceled his usual Wednesday general audience speech and instead urged the faithful to join him in prayer for the victims.

“Hearing the mayor of Amatrice say that the town no longer exists and hearing that there are children among the victims, I am deeply saddened,” he told those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Francis has also sent his own Vatican Fire Department — a team of six men — to aid in the search and rescue in Amatrice, Vatican Radio reports.

Francis has spoken with Rieti Bishop Domenico Pompili, whose diocese is close to the most devastated area. The pope conveyed his support of the people there.

“The authorities here believe many, many people may have died in this quake and that the death toll may rise because of the magnitude of this, and because many old historic buildings have crumbled,” CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen reported from Accumoli, about 20 miles from Amatrice. “They need things like bulldozers. They need heavy, high-powered jacks to lift things. They need big metal saws to get through concrete and metal to get people out.”

“They always say the first 72 hours are key — for those who are trapped, that’s [typically] how long they can survive,” Pleitgen said.

Related: Faith Sparks Help for Flood Victims

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Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is set to visit the region and has expressed gratitude to all the emergency workers.

“We are not going to leave any family alone from any district,” Renzi explained, comforting those affected. “We are going to work because in the next few hours we must continue to bring people alive from beneath the rubble, and bring hope to that territory.”

“In difficult times, Italy knows what to do,” Renzi said.