Central Italy feels impact of another earthquake

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck central Italy on Thursday morning in the same region hit by recent strong quakes, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

It said the temblor, which struck at 1:35 a.m. local time was very shallow, only 10 kilometres deep, and was centred 51.5 km southeast of Perugia.

There were no reports of casualties or further serious damage.

Earthquakes measuring 5.5 and 6.1 hit the area on Oct. 26, followed by a 6.6 magnitude quake on Sunday, the biggest tremor to strike Italy for 36 years.

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake is considered moderate and is capable of causing considerable damage. The shallow depth would have intensified the shaking at the surface.

Central Italy was hit by an initial earthquake on Aug. 24 that killed 300 people, most of them in the town of Amatrice. Since then, some 21,600 aftershocks have battered the region, the INGV said, driving most residents from their homes.

The recent quakes have reshaped more than 600 square km of land, lowering areas around the epicentre by up to 70 cm, according to data released by Italy's National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).