Reports are being received that a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake has hit central Italy. Reuters are citing the United States Geological Survey and local broadcasters as saying that this comes only three days after two more tremors shook the region, leaving villages partly destroyed.
There were no immediate reports on damage or casualties caused by the quake, however, local RAI TV reports that the tremor was powerful enough to wake the residents of the capital, Rome, who reported walls of buildings shaking.
Initial reports on the magnitude of the tremors varied. The USGS and Italian media talked of a 7.1 earthquake, while the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center, EMSC, said the tremor was magnitude 6.5 or 6.6.
WAM/Moran