Hmmm....Two powerful earthquakes Wednesday struck central Italy about 50 miles north of the site of a deadly August quake that killed nearly 300 people, the US Geological Survey said.
The
second quake -- with a magnitude of 6.1 -- was 3.2 kilometers (2 miles)
north of Visso and 58 km (36 miles) from Perugia, the USGS reported.
Just
a few hours earlier, a magnitude-5.5 quake struck the same region. The
epicenter was about 9 kilometers away, south-southwest of the town of
Visso. The first quake hit at 7 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) between Perugia and
Macerata, according to ANSA.
This
part of Italy is full of narrow roads linking small stone villages.
Rescuers are fearful of mudslides and even of risking bringing heavy
equipment up the narrow roads.
There have been no reports yet of injuries, although there was damage in Visso and another town, Campi, where the historic church, San Salvatore, was destroyed by the tremors -- the first severely damaged the 15th century structure and the second finished it off.
in Campi, said that there were constant, small aftershocks.
Streetlights,
likely powered by generators, remained on in Campi, but the town's
houses remained dark. In many small towns, in the pre-dawn hours, there
is little light, further hampering rescue efforts -- rescuers are forced
to listen for people calling for help.
The
main square and the church in nearby Norcia, a couple of miles to the
south, are badly damaged, but the church there is still standing. 
Photos: Central Italy shaken by dual earthquakes
The epicenter of the earthquake was about nine kilometers (five miles) south-southwest of Visso.
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Photos: Central Italy shaken by dual earthquakes
A Halloween dummy rests on a wall in front of earthquake damage in Visso.
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Photos: Central Italy shaken by dual earthquakes
Residents prepare to spend the night in makeshift shelters in Visso.
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Photos: Central Italy shaken by dual earthquakes
The
Church of San Sebastiano stands amid damaged houses in Castelsantangelo
sul Nera, Italy, following a pair of strong aftershocks that shook
central Italy late Wednesday.
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Photos: Central Italy shaken by dual earthquakes
People
wander around the small town of Visso, in central Italy, in the early
hours of Thursday after the quake destroyed part of their neighborhood.
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Photos: Central Italy shaken by dual earthquakes
Rescuers and residents inspect earthquake damage in Visso.
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Photos: Central Italy shaken by dual earthquakes
The epicenter of the earthquake was about nine kilometers (five miles) south-southwest of Visso.
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Photos: Central Italy shaken by dual earthquakes
A Halloween dummy rests on a wall in front of earthquake damage in Visso.
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Photos: Central Italy shaken by dual earthquakes
Residents prepare to spend the night in makeshift shelters in Visso.
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Photos: Central Italy shaken by dual earthquakes
The
Church of San Sebastiano stands amid damaged houses in Castelsantangelo
sul Nera, Italy, following a pair of strong aftershocks that shook
central Italy late Wednesday.
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Photos: Central Italy shaken by dual earthquakes
People
wander around the small town of Visso, in central Italy, in the early
hours of Thursday after the quake destroyed part of their neighborhood.
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Photos: Central Italy shaken by dual earthquakes
Rescuers and residents inspect earthquake damage in Visso.
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In
Campi, hundreds of people were sleeping in their cars, with blankets
covering the windows. The cars are parked everywhere -- streets, gas
stations, parking lots. Some residents have taken their dogs with them
in their cars.
Local media said one man had suffered a heart attack.
Residents
were uncertain as to what might happen next, and expressed worry that
another, bigger tremor, might cause even more damage.
The USGS said both earthquakes were shallow.
Reminders of August quake
Visso
is about 110 miles northeast of Rome and 50 miles north of Amatrice,
the small town that lost about 270 residents when a magnitude-6.2 quake
hit August 24. Another 20 people were killed in nearby towns.
"We
don't have any reported victims, but we're in the dark and under a
downpour," said Mauro Falcucci, the mayor of the small town of
Castelsantangelo sul Nera, according to state news agency ANSA.
"We're waiting for the Civil Protection Department to bring us lighting towers."
Tommaso
Della Longa, a spokesman for the Italian branch of the Red Cross, told
CNN that after the first shock, many people left their homes and were
outside when the second earthquake hit about two hours later.
Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
Rescuers congregate in the shade near a temporary camp under construction for residents displaced by the earthquake in Amatrice.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
A
view of the tent camp set up by the Civil Protection Agency in the
Abruzzo region as temporary housing for displaced residents from the
mountain commune of Accumoli.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
AnnaMaria
Volpetti, 52, stands at the entrance of the tent where she and her
family have sought refuge after their ancestral holiday home was ruined
in Accumoli.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
The gated doorframe of a home is the only part of it that remains standing.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
Emergency
personnel survey a cordoned-off area in the center of Amatrice. Much of
the town is now inaccessible to everyone but authorities.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
Cars caked in a layer of thick debris dust are parked in central Amatrice.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
A
poster for the 50th anniversary of Amatrice's famous pasta festival,
set to take place the weekend following the earthquake, remains on the
perimeter of a park now occupied by emergency response volunteers.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
A neat fracture line in the pavement is a telling sign of the earth's violent movement below the streets of Amatrice.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
An
emergency responder passes by the rubble of the building in Amatrice
where Roberto Partenza and his family lived before the earthquake struck
in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, August 24.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
Emergency
crews huddle near the iconic Amatrice clock tower still standing amid
the rubble. The frozen hands of the clock rest at the time of the
earthquake: 3:36 a.m. local time.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
The destroyed interior of a home is seen in Amatrice.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
The destroyed convent of Amatrice is visible from the Italian Red Cross field headquarters in Amatrice.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
A K-9 rescue crew regroups outside of the red zone in Amatrice.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
Three
days on, various emergency response groups congregate in an open area
in Amatrice. Rescuers were initially hindered by the lack of access to
the mountain town.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
An camp for emergency volunteers is erected in a park in Amatrice.
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
Rescuers congregate in the shade near a temporary camp under construction for residents displaced by the earthquake in Amatrice.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
A
view of the tent camp set up by the Civil Protection Agency in the
Abruzzo region as temporary housing for displaced residents from the
mountain commune of Accumoli.
Hide Caption
9 of 15
Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
AnnaMaria
Volpetti, 52, stands at the entrance of the tent where she and her
family have sought refuge after their ancestral holiday home was ruined
in Accumoli.
Hide Caption
10 of 15
Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
The gated doorframe of a home is the only part of it that remains standing.
Hide Caption
11 of 15
Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
Emergency
personnel survey a cordoned-off area in the center of Amatrice. Much of
the town is now inaccessible to everyone but authorities.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
Cars caked in a layer of thick debris dust are parked in central Amatrice.
Hide Caption
13 of 15
Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
A
poster for the 50th anniversary of Amatrice's famous pasta festival,
set to take place the weekend following the earthquake, remains on the
perimeter of a park now occupied by emergency response volunteers.
Hide Caption
14 of 15
Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
A neat fracture line in the pavement is a telling sign of the earth's violent movement below the streets of Amatrice.
Hide Caption
15 of 15
Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
An
emergency responder passes by the rubble of the building in Amatrice
where Roberto Partenza and his family lived before the earthquake struck
in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, August 24.
Hide Caption
1 of 15
Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
Emergency
crews huddle near the iconic Amatrice clock tower still standing amid
the rubble. The frozen hands of the clock rest at the time of the
earthquake: 3:36 a.m. local time.
Hide Caption
2 of 15
Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
The destroyed interior of a home is seen in Amatrice.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
The destroyed convent of Amatrice is visible from the Italian Red Cross field headquarters in Amatrice.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
A K-9 rescue crew regroups outside of the red zone in Amatrice.
Hide Caption
5 of 15
Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
Three
days on, various emergency response groups congregate in an open area
in Amatrice. Rescuers were initially hindered by the lack of access to
the mountain town.
Hide Caption
6 of 15
Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
An camp for emergency volunteers is erected in a park in Amatrice.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Shattered vistas from Italy's August earthquake
Rescuers congregate in the shade near a temporary camp under construction for residents displaced by the earthquake in Amatrice.
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Nadeau
was in Rome when the quakes struck. "Incredible aftershock or
earthquake felt in Testaccio in Rome. Wow," she said on Twitter.
She said many of the towns in the area are small hamlets that won't be reachable until daylight.
Video
recorded by CNN affiliate Rai television showed a road to Visso that
was largely blocked by a massive boulder. Cars were having to carefully
drive around it. Several stone buildings in the town had been heavily
damaged.
Civil protection
spokesman Antonio Flippini told CNN that previously damaged buildings
had suffered new collapses and that part of the Salaria highway in the
Marche region near Amatrice have been closed over concerns of structural
damage.
Della Longa said buildings
that fell in the area have been unoccupied since the August quake. The
area remains off-limits. Many people displaced by that quake have been
forced to move once again.
Police have offered those living in tent camps the opportunity to stay farther away tonight as the rain falls.
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