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14 dead in earthquake in Italy - UPDATED

14 dead in earthquake in Italy - <span style="color: red;">UPDATED

24 August 2016 08:10 (UTC +04:00)

Efforts are underway to rescue people from the aftermath of the earthquake.

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06:05

Baku-APA. A strong 6.2 magnitude quake struck central Italy early on Wednesday near the town of Norcia, the U.S. Geological Survey said, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Strong tremors woke residents in the capital Rome, some 170 km (105 miles) from the epicentre of the quake, which occurred at 3.36 a.m. (0136 GMT).

The spokesman for the Italian fire department, Luca Cari, said they had received reports of buildings being damaged, but had no further details.

The USGS initially reported the magnitude of the quake at 6.4, saying it was very shallow, only 6.2 miles (10 km) deep.

"It was the worst (quake) of my life" said Matteo Berlenga after leaving his house near Gubbio in the central Italian region of Umbria when theearthquake struck.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's spokesman said on Twitter that the government was in touch with the country's civil protection agency.