ROME, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- A powerful earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale jolted central Italy Sunday morning, further damaging historic buildings and churches following former tremors in the past week.
The quake struck central Italy's Norcia town, a famous medieval town in Umbria, at 07:40 am local time (0640 GMT). The epicenter was at a depth of 10 km, the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV) reported.
The INGV had previously estimated the quake at 6.1 magnitude.
The local Sky TG24 TV station showed constant shakes and rubble on the ground and damage to buildings.
ANSA reported that the 14th-century San Benedetto Basilica and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Argentea collapsed in Norcia during the quake.
There are no immediate reports on casualties caused by the quake yet.
The tremor was powerful enough to be felt in Rome, Naples and Venice. People kept sending messages on social media describing the shake.
Italy has been hit constantly by earthquakes since August 24, when a 6-magnitude earthquake struck central Italy, killing 298 people. On October 26, two regions of Italy were struck by smaller tremors measuring 5.5 and 6.1 respectively.
