MOSCOW, April 17 (RIA Novosti) - The European Commission is ready to provide funding to Italy, where 294 people were killed in a recent quake, the EU commissioner for transport said on Friday.

A powerful earthquake, measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale, hit 26 cities and towns in the mountainous Abruzzo province in central Italy on April 6, killing 294 people and injuring another 1,500. Some 50,000 were made homeless.

During a visit to the Abruzzo region, Antonio Tajani said: "The European Commission will try to grant Abruzzo 500 million euros," adding that part of the sum would be provided from a solidarity fund which is designed to help countries to cope with natural disasters.

The regional capital, L'Aquila, was hardest hit with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi calling it a "ghost town." He proposed building a new town, dubbed L'Aquila-2 to provide those who had lost homes in the quake with new housing.