Italy hit by two deadly earthquakes

Italy has been hit by two strong earthquakes in which buildings were damaged and dozens of people injured.

A 5.5 magnitude quake struck at 7:10 pm local time near Visso in Macerata province, followed two hours later by a 6.1 magnitude tremor in the same area.

Emergency teams have worked through the night. There are few reports of serious injuries but bad weather has been hampering efforts to assess the damage.

Visso is 70km south from Amatrice, which was badly damaged in the 6.2 magnitude quake in August in which about 300 people were killed.

Wednesday’s earthquakes were felt across central Italy, including in the capital, Rome, where buildings shook and doors and windows rattled.

“Tens” of people were hurt, but only four people suffered serious injuries, Italy’s civil protection chief Fabrizio Curcio said.

The second earthquake was considerably stronger than the first and numerous smaller aftershocks have occurred. One witness told Italian TV he saw part of a building collapse in front of him.

There are also reports of downed power lines, damage to historic buildings and a landslide on a main road north of Rome.

These tremors were linked to the August earthquake, Italian officials said.

“Aftershocks can last for a long time, sometimes for months,” according to Mario Tozzi, an official of Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics.