ROME — A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck central Italy early Wednesday, with reports of damaged buildings and blackouts near the epicentre Rieti and residents fleeing their homes and running into the streets. The European Mediterranean Seismological Center put the magnitude at 6.1 and said the epicentre was northeast of Rome, near Rieti. The mayor of Amatrice near Rieti, Sergio Perozzi, told state-run RAI radio that there were downed buildings in the city centre and that the lights had gone out. In 2009, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the same region and killed more than 300 people. The earlier earthquake struck L’Aquila in central Italy, about 90 kilometres south of the latest quake.

Source: National Post August 24, 2016 03:22 UTC