Earthquake of 6.6 magnitude strikes central Italy

An earthquake measuring 6.6 magnitude struck central and southern Italy on Sunday. The seismic tremor was also felt in Rome. According to the US Geological Survey, the quake took place six kilometers north of Norci.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre put the magnitude at 6.6 or 6.5 with an epicentre 132 kilometres northeast of Rome and 67 kilometres east of Perugia, near the epicentre of last week's temblors. It struck at 7:40 am.

The latest tremor comes just days after two powerful 6.1 and 5.5 magnitude quakes on Wednesday which left almost 5,000 people homeless.

Italy's national geophysics institute (INGV) has recorded almost 700 tremors, with experts saying they could go on for weeks or months.

The deadly August 24 quake had killed nearly 300 people. Seismologists say the two new quakes on Wednesday and clusters of smaller shocks were aftershocks to the event.