Second successive quake hits Italy

A second strong quake hit Italy, soon after a 5.4-magnitude temblor had struck the same areas in the province of Macerata.

The latest quake hit at 9.18 p.m. (local time) and measured 5.9 on the Richter scale, according to Italy's National Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (INGV).

The first one had struck at 7.11 p.m. (local time).

The epicentre of both tremors was registered in the Valnerina valley, a mountainous area between the cities of Macerata and Perugia, Xinhua news agency reported.

The events wreaked havoc among the local population, which had already gone through a powerful quake only two months ago.

Some buildings partly collapsed in the villages around Macerata but no casualties were reported, according to Italy's civil protection head Fabrizio Curcio.

Communications and power lines were disrupted on Wednesday evening, and a major highway connecting the affected areas was closed, according to the Italian civil protection agency.

Both quakes were clearly felt in other provinces of Marche, in the cities of Perugia and Ancona and as far as the capital Rome, which lies nearly 230 km away.

The new tremors would be linked to a major quake that occurred in central Italy in August, La Repubblica newspaper reported citing an INGV expert.

"This quake occurred within the area already hit by the previous one. It might be the opening of a new fault line," seismologist Alessandro Amato told La Repubblica online.

On August 24, the regions of Lazio and Marche were hit by a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that killed 298 people and injured nearly 400.

--IANS

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