Earthquake hits Italy

Rome, Oct 27: A strong 5.4-magnitude earthquake hit Italy on Wednesday evening, local media reported. The tremor had its epicentre in the province of Macerata in the Marche region, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the National Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (INGV). The quake, which struck at 7.11 p.m. (local time), was 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. Some buildings were toppled near the epicentre, but no casualties were reported in the immediate aftermath of the event. The earthquake would be linked to the major quake that struck Italy two months ago, 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 said. 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.