The earthquakes caused severe damage to buildings across a broad area near Catania, one of the most densely populated metropolitan districts in Sicily.

Italian news agency ANSA said an 80-year-old man was pulled from the rubble of a house.

Civil Protection Department (Protezione Civile) chief Angelo Borrelli said: “We are working to assist the population, the residents who have been left homeless, to give them a place to stay while we check the safety of the structures.”