Update: 3:49PM THE US Geological Survey has confirmed that a strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck central Italy early this morning near the town of Norcia, Reuters reported this afternoon.
According to Reuters, strong tremors woke residents in the capital Rome, some 170 km (105 miles) from the epicentre of the quake, which occurred at 3.36 a.m. (0136 GMT).
Spokesman for the Italian fire department, Luca Cari, said they had received reports of buildings being damaged, but had no further details.
According to Reuters, the USGS initially reported the magnitude of the quake at 6.4, saying it was very shallow, only 6.2 miles (10 km) deep.
Reuters spoke to terrified residents.
“It was the worst (quake) of my life,” said Matteo Berlenga after leaving his house near Gubbio in the central Italian region of Umbria when the earthquake struck.
“Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s spokesman said on Twitter that the government was in touch with the country’s civil protection agency,” Reuters reported.