Strong 6.2 quake hits central Italy (local time: 03:36, Depth 4 km)

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit central Italy in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the United States Geological Survey said. Italian media outlets reported that at least four people had died in the disaster.

  
The shallow quake struck 10 kilometers (six miles) southeast of Norcia, a town in the province of Perugia in southeastern Umbria.

The town of Amatrice was badly damaged, with people buried under rubble, according to Reuters. "The roads in and out of town are cut off," Mayor Sergio Pirozzi told state television. "Half the town is gone."

The quake was felt as far away as Rome, around 150km away from the epicenter, and woke a number of people there including AFP journalists.

USGS's PAGER system, which predicts the impact of earthquakes, has issued a red alert -- suggesting significant casualties and damage based on previous quake data.

A 2009, 6.3-magnitude earthquake in the Aquila region, which was also felt in the Italian capital, left more than 300 dead.
 [i24news.tv]
24/8/16
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• Magnitude    Mw 6.2

Region    CENTRAL ITALY
Date time    2016-08-24 01:36:32.3 UTC
Location    42.71 N ; 13.22 E

• Depth    4 km

Distances :
   109 km NE of Roma, Italy / pop: 2,563,241 / local time: 03:36:32.3 2016-08-24
43 km N of L’Aquila, Italy / pop: 68,503 / local time: 03:36:32.3 2016-08-24
14 km E of Maltignano, Italy / pop: 2,514 / local time: 03:36:32.3 2016-08-24
emsc-csem.org