Powerful quake rattles central, southern Italy

A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 has rocked central and southern Italy after a week of temblors that have left thousands homeless.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre put the magnitude at 6.6 or 6.5 with an epicentre 132 kilometres northeast of Rome and 67 kilometres east of Perugia, near the epicentre of last week's temblors. It struck at 7:40 am.