Strong 6.2 quake hits central Italy: USGS

[ROME] A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit central Italy in the early hours of Wednesday morning and was felt in Rome some 150km away, the United States Geological Survey and AFP journalists said.

The shallow quake struck 10km southeast of Norcia, a town in the province of Perugia in the southeast of Umbria, at around 3.30am local time (0130 GMT) according to the USGS.

USGS's Pager system, which predicts the impact of earthquakes, has issued a red alert - suggesting significant casualties and damage based on previous quake data.

A 2009, 6.3-magnitude earthquake in the Aquila region, which was also felt in the Italian capital, left more than 300 dead.

AFP