6.6 magnitude earthquake strikes central Italy

A powerful earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale struck central Italy's Umbria region on Sunday morning.

Earlier reports said the quake measured 7.1 magnitude.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at a depth of less than 1 km and hit roughly 5 km from Preci, not far from where two powerful quakes that hit on Thursday, CNN reported. Earlier reports put the depth of the quake at 10 km.

There were no reports of injuries or casualties.

Thursday's earthquakes -- which had respective magnitudes of 5.5 and 6.1 -- did not result in any reported deaths. But the destruction of nearby historic structures prompted people to view the damage as a loss to their cultural heritage.

Those earlier earthquakes happened about 80 km north of where a deadly quake killed nearly 300 people in August.

--IANS

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