Norcia earthquake: 6.6 magnitude shock felt in Rome - as it happened

We are wrapping up our live coverage of the Italy earthquake. Dozens of historic buildings have been destroyed or seriously damaged by the 6.6 magnitude quake, with around a dozen people reported to be injured. There are currently no reports of deaths following the shock on Sunday morning.

The epicentre of the quake was about 40 miles (68km) south-west of Perugia and close to the town of Norcia, which was already reeling from a series of large quakes. Many of the town’s residents had been evacuated after quakes on Wednesday, meaning they avoided the worst of the damage on Sunday.

For the latest developments, click here for our full story.

More footage from Italian television of a collapsed building in the Marche town of Visso:

Some images from the destruction in Italy:

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View image in fullscreen

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Stephanie Kirchgaessner sends this update from Rome:

Emergency responders - 112 in Italy - are urging people to use SMS messages and WhatsApp to check on their loved ones to avoid blocking emergency calls on telephone lines.

In Rome, where the shock of the earthquake was felt, it still feels “a bit jittery,” she says.

The independent scientific organisation EMSC has tweeted this map of where the quake struck in Italy earlier today.

The head of civil protection, Fabrizio Curcio, has said at a press conference in the town of Rieti that “a dozen” people are reported injured, according to the Italian newspaper La Stampa. All the injuries are reported to be minor except for one who is said to be more seriously hurt.

My colleague in Rome, Stephanie Kirchgaessner, has tweeted:

Meanwhile, La Stampa reports that six injured people have been recovered from the rubble in Norcia.

Here is footage from Italian television of firefighters rescuing nuns in the badly-hit town of Norcia:

The monks of the devastated St Benedictine church, in Norcia, have said people remain trapped in the town’s square:

In an update on their website, the monks posted:

Dear friends,

Around 7:40 AM, a powerful earthquake struck close to Norcia. The monks are all safe, but our hearts go immediately to those affected, and the priests of the monastery are searching for any who may need the Last Rites.

The Basilica of St. Benedict, the historic church built atop the birthplace of St. Benedict, was flattened by this most recent quake. May this image serve to illustrate the power of this earthquake, and the urgency we monks feel to seek out those who need the Sacraments on this difficult day for Italy.

Relying, as ever, on your prayers and support,

Fr. Benedict

Subprior

Three people have been pulled alive from rubble in the Marche town of Tolentino, the Italian newspaper La Stampa reports. There are reports that several buildings have collapsed in the town of about 20,000 people.

The mayors of the quake-hit towns, Ussita and Arquata del Tronto, have described the devastating effect of this morning’s earthquake.

“It’s a disaster, a disaster!” mayor Marco Rinaldi told the ANSA news agency. “I was sleeping in the car and I saw hell.”

Like Rinaldi, many people were sleeping in cars or had been evacuated to shelters or hotels in other areas following aftershocks on Wednesday from the earthquake in August.

In Arquata del Tronto, which had been devastated by the earlier earthquake on 24 August that killed nearly 300 people, mayor Aleandro Petrucci said: “There are no towns left ... Everything came down.”