Earthquakes rattle already-devastated Italian region
Three earthquakes rattled central Italy Wednesday morning, shaking the capital Rome and the region around Amatrice, the town levelled by a devastating quake last year that left almost 300 people dead.
Fire and rescue officials in Rome told CBS News there was some damage reported in Amatrice, but they could not provide more detail on the extent. The fire service was sending search and rescue dogs from Rome to the area.
All three of the quakes had magnitudes between 5.3 and 5.7 on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. They were all centered less than five miles from Amatrice.
CBS Radio News correspondent Anna Matranga reports that some schools in Rome were evacuated, according to Italian media.
The first quake was a Magnitude 5.3, the middle one measured 5.7 and the third 5.3, according to the USGS. They all struck within one hour.
Some communities close to the epicentre were already isolated due to snowfall when the quakes struck.
SKY Italia News reported that fire brigades were already close to the areas hit by the tremors, and aid workers were there, too, but they were having some problems getting around due to the inclement weather.
