Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Several powerful earthquakes measuring in magnitudes of 4.5 to 5.7 have struck central Italy, a region already scarred by tremors from last year, emergency officials said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the first quake measuring in a magnitude of 5.3 struck at 10:25 a.m. about 4.3 miles west-northwest of the city of Amatrice, a historic town devastated by an earthquake on Aug. 24 that killed more than 300 people in the region.