Italy Shaken Again By Earthquakes

Italy in has been shaken by two earthquakes last night, leaving dozens injured and damaging buildings in the Mascerata province.

The town of Visso was struck by a 5.5 magnitude quake at 19:10 (GMT+2), followed by another 6.1 tremor two hours later.

The second quake was significantly stronger, and a number of aftershocks have been felt since all across the region.

Buildings in the nearby town of Ussita have sustained extremely severe damage, many having collapsed completely.

While there have only been reports of a handful of severe injuries at the moment, bad weather has impeded efforts to fully assess the damage. Emergency teams have been working through the night.

Earthquakes in August this year killed 300 people just south of Visso, in the town of Amatrice. The small provincial town, 70km from Visso, was badly rocked by a 6.2 magnitude tremor on the 24th August, with much of the town and surrounding area reduced to rubble.

Back in 2009, the nearby town of L’Aquila was devastated by a 6.3 strength quake, which also killed over 300 people and left some 58,000 homeless.

Last night’s seismic activity was felt right across Central Italy, including Rome.

Rescue work and damage assessment are ongoing.