Central Italy rocked by two earthquakes, Older buildings are reported to have collapsed

Central Italy has been hit by two powerful earthquakes, sending scared residents into the roads and damaging buildings.

A 5.5-magnitude quake hit at 19:10 local time (17:10 GMT) near Visso in Macerata province, officials said.
Several people were hurt, but there were no immediate reports of deaths.

The quakes come two months after a strong quake struck slightly to the south, killing folks that are 298.

The 6.2 magnitude quake, on 24 August, toppled buildings in Amatrice and villages in the mountainous area around the town, which is only 70km (45 miles) from Visso.

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

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

The BBC’s Katya Adler, in Rome, says that emergency services in the areas that are affected are still assessing the situation.

The second quake was not considerably weaker compared to first and numerous smaller aftershocks have occurred. Italian TV he saw part of a building collapse in front of him was told by one witness.

Although the complete extent of damage is not going to become apparent until after the darkness lifts on Thursday morning, the town of Camerino is presumed to have been badly damaged.

One resident told the BBC: “Everyone is leaving Camerino by foot or automobile to seek safety. Two churches are ruined and many houses [have] fallen.”

Near Norcia in the Umbria region, in Campo, the late 15th century San Salvatore church fell. It was weakened by the earthquake in August.

Schools in the area will not stay open on Thursday, our correspondent reports.

The first quake, 7km southwest of Visso, was relatively shallow, at a depth of 9km (almost six miles).

The second, at 21:18 local time was that is, 2 km depth of 10km. a, at

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

“Aftershocks can last for a long time, sometimes for months,” AFP news agency quoted Mario Tozzi of Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics as saying.