[WATCH] Several injured, buildings collapse as new powerful earthquake hits central Italy

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Italy on Sunday in the same central regions that have been rocked by repeated tremors over the past two months, with more homes and churches brought down but no deaths reported.

The quake was bigger than one on August 24 that killed almost 300 people and the strongest since a 6.9 quake hit Italy’s south in 1980, killing 2,735 people. Fortunately, though many people had fled the area before the quake struck, helping to avoid a new devastating death toll,

The latest quake was felt across much of Italy, striking at 7.40am, its epicentre close to the historic walled town of Norcia, some 100 km from the university city of Perugia.

There were no initial reports of fatalities but the head of Italy’s civil protection agency, Fabrizio Curcio, said a “dozen” people were injured, with one person described as being in a serious condition.

Emergency services pulled three people from the rubble in Tolentino, a town in Marche.

Before/after pic of catastrophic earthquake in central Italy. #ItalyEarthquake pic.twitter.com/WK6qT7HdxV

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Panicked Norcia residents rushed into the streets and the town's ancient Basilica of St. Benedict collapsed, leaving just the facade standing. Nuns, monks and locals sank to their knees in the main square in silent prayer before the shattered church.

“This is a tragedy. It is a coup de grace. The basilica is devastated,” Bishop Renato Boccardo of Norcia told Reuters.

“Everyone has been suspended in a never-ending state of fear and stress. They are at their wits end,” said Boccardo, referring to the thousands of tremors that have rattled the area since August, including two serious quakes on Wednesday.

More pictures of damage#ItalyEarthquake #italy pic.twitter.com/rzWiIF5kJH

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Italy's Civil Protection unit, which coordinates disaster relief, said numerous houses were destroyed on Sunday in the regions of Umbria and Marche, but either they were deserted at the time or most of the residents managed to escape beforehand.

“No deaths have been reported, but there are a number of people injured,” said Civil Protection chief Fabrizio Curcio, adding that just one person was in a serious condition.

Following the most recent earthquake in Italy we remind that the Embassy of Malta's emergency number is +393482412437

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Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Italy was living through extremely difficult times, but promised a massive reconstruction effort in the years ahead regardless of any possible objections from the European Union over the eventual costs.

“We will rebuild everything, the houses, the churches and the businesses,” Renzi told reporters. “Everything that needs to be done to rebuild these areas will be done.”

The quake, which was felt in Rome and Naples, levelled historic structures that had already sustained major damage, including a tower and St Augustine church in Amatrice – the town devastated by an earthquake in August that killed about 300 people.

Live television coverage showed the collapse of a church in the centre of Norcia, a town near Perugia in Umbria. Parts of the town had already been sealed off.

Strong tremors were felt in Rome and Naples where walls shook. Some reports said the shock was felt in neighbouring countries including Slovenia and Croatia, and in Bolzano, near the border with Austria.

“It all came down, now there is no more town,” said the mayor of Arquata del Tronto, Aleandro Petrucci. There had already been “red zones” in place, abandoned after the previous quakes.

“The few people who remained have gone out to the streets and are embracing. Now we’re going around to see what happened,” he said.

Cesare Spuri, the head of Civil Protection in Marche, said: “There are collapses everywhere. We report collapses in Muccia, Tolentino and in the areas surrounding Macerata. We’re trying to establish if people are underneath the rubble. There was also a strong shock in Ancona.”

“Everything’s collapsed! I see plumes of smoke, it’s a disaster,” said Marco Rinaldi, the mayor of Ussita, a town in the Marche region which was among the worst hit in a 6.1 quake that struck Italy on Wednesday night.

Foreign affairs minister expresses sympathy

In a statement, foreign affairs minister George Vella expressed his sympathy to the families hit by the earthquake and encouraged Maltese citizens in Italy to notify relatives of their wellbeing and to update their status on social media.

Persons with information or questions about Maltese citizens known to be in affected areas who require assistance should call the Embassy of Malta emergency number: +39 349 241 2431; or the local Ministry for Foreign Affairs number on 21242191.