Overnight earthquake hits central Italy

(Vatican Radio)  An earthquake struck central Italy near the town of Perugia early Wednesday morning, killing at least 6 people with others trapped under rubble.

The 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit at 3:35 am, 76 km southeast of Perugia in the small town of Accumoli at a depth of 10 km, and was followed by 3 more aftershocks.

Fire Department spokesman, Luca Cari, told Reuters news service the worst hit towns are likely to be Accumoli, Amatrice, Posta, and Arquata del Tronto.

The mayor of the nearby town of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi, told Radio RAI 1 the town had sustained heavy damages.

"The roads in and out of town are cut off. Half the town is gone. There are people under the rubble... There's been a landslide and a bridge might collapse."

Buildings shook over much of the Italian penisula from Rimini to Naples.