New earthquakes in central Italy, three big tremours

(ANSA) - Rome, January 18 - 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 earthquake was 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 on Wednesday as a precautionary measure. 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.