Three strong earthquakes were
felt in central Italy on Wednesday.
The first quake took place at around 10:25 and was felt in
Lazio, including Rome, Abruzzo and Marche.
Another strong earthquake took place at 11:14 and another
still at 11:26.
The first and third earthquakes were magnitude 5.3 and the
second's was 5.4, according to initial estimates by the National
Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV).
The epicentres of those quakes were in the province of
L'Aquila, in Abruzzo.
Some Rome metro stations were evacuated as a precautionary
measure.
Services on the A, B and C lines were suspended while checks
were run and shuttle buses laid on.
Central Italy suffered a series of devastating earthquakes
last year, including one in August that claimed around 300
lives.
Misery in the areas affected by the quakes has been
compounded by the recent wave of snow and freezing weather.
Civil Protection Chief Fabrizio Curcio said that assessing
the situation after a new series of earthquakes in central Italy
was difficult due to snow in many areas.
"The situation is quite complicated," Curcio told Sky
television.
"We are receiving reports from all over the nation. Obviously
the quake was felt clearly all over the centre, as far as the
capital.
"At the end of the checks we'll be able to say whether we've
had particularly difficult situations or not. It has been
snowing without stop in that area for hours and it will continue
to do so for the next few hours".
The civil protection department in Marche on Wednesday
announced an alarm for possible avalanches due to the heavy
snowfall and the quakes.
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