VISSO // Italy was counting the cost on Thursday after another major earthquake forced thousands to flee their homes in "apocalyptic scenes" but "miraculously" did not cause any fatalities.
Two months after a quake killed nearly 300 people in the country's tremor-prone centre, two powerful shocks ripped through the mountainous, sparsely-populated region of Marche on Wednesday evening.
Despite numerous building collapses, no deaths had been reported by midday on Thursday, more than 17 hours after the first of the 5.5 and 6.1 magnitude tremors.
"Given the strength of the shocks the absence of any deaths or serious injuries, which we hope will be confirmed, is miraculous," said interior minister Angelino Alfano.
The national civil protection agency described the damage as "very significant" but said they were not aware of anyone trapped under rubble.
Rescue workers began a major clean-up operation and hundreds of families were unsure where they would be living for the foreseeable future.
More than 100 aftershocks rattled the area through the night after the initial two shocks were felt in Rome, some 175 kilometres away from the epicentres.
Marco Rinaldi, mayor of the village of Ussita, described "apocalyptic" scenes. "People were in the streets screaming. Many houses have collapsed. Our town is finished," he said.
"I've felt a lot of earthquakes but that was the strongest I've ever felt. Fortunately everyone had already left their homes after the first quake so I don't think anyone was hurt."
One 70-year-old man was reported to have died of a heart attack in nearby Tolentino but that may have been coincidental.
Even in Rome, some people took to the streets as a precautionary measure - a sign of lingering jitters following the summer quake.
Wednesday's tremors struck an area just to the north of Amatrice, the mountain town that was partially razed in August, suffering the bulk of the fatalities.
The epicentres were near the village of Visso, located on the edge of Marche, close to the border with Umbria.
Across the region, hospitals, a university residence, a retirement home and even a prison had to be evacuated.
A top flight football match between Pescara and Atalanta was also suspended after the first shock and schools were closed on Thursday to allow for structural safety checks to be carried out.
The civil protection agency was planning to reopen tent camps set up after the August earthquake but they will only provide a temporary solution as winter approaches.
Many mountain villages in Marche are located at over 600 metres altitude and overnight temperatures will soon be falling below freezing.
* Agence France-Presse
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