At least 13 people were killed Monday in a strong earthquake in central Italy, local TV reported. Four children were among the dead, Xinhua reports.
The earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 rocked central Italy early Monday morning, damaging buildings in the old town of Aquila, where the epicenter is located, some 95 km northeast of Rome.
The U.S. Geological Survey initially put the temblor's magnitude at 6.7 and later revised it downward to 6.3. But quoting Aguila's public safety officials, Italy's state television said the quake measured at 5.8 magnitude.
According to the U.S. agency, the quake struck at 03:32 a.m. local time (0232 GMT) and its epicenter was located 33 kilometers underground.
Local residents near the epicenter were panicked and fled to streets.
The temblor was also felt in Rome, waking residents there.
On Sunday night, a 4.6-magnitude tremor hit northcentral Italy and there were no reports of damage or injuries.