Earthquake of 5.4 magnitude strikes central Italy

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck central Italy on Wednesday with the epicentre in an area covered by heavy snow which is struggling to recover from a string of deadly quakes last year.

Monitors said the quake was around 5.4 magnitude. Tremors were felt across the Abruzzo, Lazio and Marche regions and also in Rome, over 100 kilometres (60 miles) away.

The epicentre was located just to the south of Amatrice, the mountain town devastated by the first of the earthquakes which struck the mountainous centre of the country between August and October last year.

Nearly 300 people died in that 6.0 magnitude quake, most of them in Amatrice, a beauty spot which was packed with holiday makers at the height of the summer season.

Two further quakes rattled the region in October, with the most powerful measuring 6.5 magnitude.

The latest quake came in the wake of 36 hours of continuous snowfall in areas close to Amatrice and another badly-hit mountain town, Norcia.

As a result of last year’s quakes many residents have been evacuated to temporary accommodation outside the earthquake-prone zone along Italy’s mountainous spine.

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