Powerful earthquakes in Italy lead to evacuation of Rome metro

The metro system, in addition to some schools, were being evacuated in Italy’s capital Rome after a series of powerful earthquakes struck the country.

CNN reports that central Italy was hit by an initial 5.3-magnitude quake this morning 7 kilometres west-northwest of Amatrice, a town which also suffered powerful temblors last year. The quake was felt strongly in Rome, despite the epicenter being 90 km northeast of the capital; eight aftershocks have since been reported, including one as strong as 5.7, and all at a depth of 10 km, according to the US Geological Survey.

There are no immediate reports of damage or casualties, although firefighters said that their initial assessment has been affected by heavy snow blocking the roads. A Twitter post from the Fire Department said that around 850 firefighters were engaged in the operation, but they had received no requests for rescues so far.