Two strong earthquakes struck Italy on Wednesday night damaging buildings and causing people to evacuate their homes.

A 5.4 magnitude quake was followed two hours later by a larger quake measuring 6.0 on the richter scale, according to the US Geological Survey.

The area affected is in central Italy 66km to the east of Perugia,

The tremors caused the collapse of several old structures, including ancient churches. No one is reported to have been killed, but Civil Protection department chief Fabrizio Curcio told Reuters one person had been injured.



The two earthquakes were felt in Rome, shaking centuries-old buildings in the capital, reports AP.

The mayor of Castelsantangelo, which is close to the epicentre, said "there have been collapses" and they are "under a deluge" as relief effort get underway.

The Foreign Ministry in Rome has been evacuated as a precaution.

Evacuated people spend the night in a temporary shelter, in Camerino, Marche Region, central Italy (EPA)

It comes just two months after a powerful quake killed nearly 300 people in central Italy and destroyed the hilltop village of Amatrice.

Wednesday's quake struck at 7.10pm local time near the province of Macerata at a depth of just 9km. It was initially measured at 5.6, but was later revised down.

"The earthquake only happened a few minutes ago. It's dark here, so impossible to determine if there has been any damage outside," a local resident in Macerata told the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre.

"All services are still working normally."

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Another local close to the epicentre reported "normally stoic dogs" were "showing anxiety".

Citizens as far away as Slovenia and Croatia reported feeling tremors just seconds after those felt in Italy.