Story highlights A 6.3-magnitude quake struck central Italy in 2009

That disaster was on the minds of many after this week's quake

(CNN) A powerful quake strikes near the Earth's surface in the early morning darkness, shaking people from their slumber and demolishing buildings in historic mountain towns.

That's what happened in central Italy on Wednesday . But it wasn't the first time. Another temblor rattled the region in 2009, and the parallels are striking.

"I've never seen a quake quite so similar to another one," CNN International meteorologist Pedram Javaheri said, calling the juxtaposition "eerily similar."

The 2009 disaster, which was dubbed the L'Aquila earthquake after the name of the medieval city at its epicenter, killed more than 300 people.

L'Aquila is about 50 km (31 miles) from Amatrice, the town at the center of this week's quake. Both quakes had a depth of about 10 km (6.2 miles) and struck at about 3:30 a.m.