New strong earthquake hits Italy, buildings collapse

A strong earthquake measuring 6.6 magnitude struck central Italy on Sunday, causing the collapse of more buildings and historic churches in small cities and towns. The U.S Geological Survey, USGS, said the quake was centred 42 miles east-southeast of Perugia and was felt strongly in the capital Rome. Footage shows Norcia, a town near Perugia in Umbria, hit by Sunday's earthquake. The quake measured 7.1 according to an initial estimate by the USGS and was later revised to 6.6, the biggest since almost 300 people were killed in central Italy on August 24 by a quake that leveled several small towns. While there were no immediate reports of casualties on Sunday, damage was substantial. Sunday's earthquake followed a series of tremors to strike the country in the past five days. A series of strong earthquakes struck the area on Wednesday.