The quake struck just after 3:30 a.m. and was felt across a broad section of central Italy, including the capital Rome.

The hardest-hit towns were reported as Amatrice and Accumoli near Rieti, with residents running into the streets as aftershocks continued into the early morning hours. As daylight dawned, residents and civil protection workers began digging out with shovels and bulldozers as dazed residents huddled in the open streets.

The mayor of the quake-hit town of Accumoli, Stefano Petrucci, said a family of four had been located under the debris of a collapsed building but there were no signs of life.

"There are deaths," he told state-run RaiNews24.

The mayor of Amatrice near Rieti, Sergio Pirozzi, told state-run RAI radio and Sky TG24 that residents were buried under collapsed buildings, that the lights had gone out and that heavy equipment was needed to clear streets covered with debris.

"The town isn't here anymore," he saidSource:  kcra.com