ROME: A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit central Italy in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the United States Geological Survey said.
The shallow quake struck 10 kilometers (six miles) southeast of Norcia, a town in the province of Perugia in southeastern Umbria.
The quake was felt as far away as Rome, around 150 km away from the epicenter, and woke a number of people there including AFP journalists.
At least three people have died after a powerful earthquake struck central Italy in the early hours today.
The first confirmed victims of a quake which devastated dozens of villages were an elderly couple whose home collapsed at Pescara del Tronto in the Marche region to the east of the epicentre, national broadcaster Rai and other media reported.
The AGI news agency said at least one other person had died in Accumoli, a village close to the epicentre. ‘
“We have a tragedy here,” said the village mayor Stefano Petrucci. “For the moment one death is confirmed but there are another four people under the rubble and they are not responding.
“It is a disaster, we have no light, no telephones, the rescue services have not got here yet.”
