The southern Italian region of Molise has been hit by two strong earthquakes and several aftershocks, but according to early reports there are no victims or significant damage.
Italian officials recorded two major quakes, one of 5.1 magnitude and another of 4.4 magnitude, both with an epicentre at a depth of nine kilometres.
The nearest town was Montecilfone, about 300 kilometres east of Rome. On Tuesday, it was struck by a magnitude-4.7 quake, with no significant consequences.
"Thank God I am getting no news of people being hurt," Montecilfone Mayor Franco Pallotta told local media after the latest developments.
The national fire department said it received no emergency calls for help or reports of collapsed homes, and said its officers only spotted a few damaged cornices.
"According to preliminary checks, which will continue in the coming hours, (the earthquakes) seem to have caused only minor damage," the national Civil Protection agency said.
Pallotta said people left their homes and took to the streets out of concern that buildings could collapse, but said he only heard of damage to some "old walls" already considered unsafe.
Australian Associated Press
