At least 10 people killed by quake 25 miles north-west of Bologna in northern Italy

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook a large swath of northern Italy on Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people and bringing down buildings already damaged by a quake that hit the area nine days ago.

The earthquake, which was felt as far away as Austria, was centred 25 miles (40km) north-west of Bologna, near Mirandola, close to where a 6-magnitude quake struck in the early hours of 20 May, killing seven.

The latest quake struck at 9am when many more local factories were open – a likely reason for the higher death toll.

At least one employee at a factory in Mirandola was reported dead after the building collapsed, one day after it had reopened following the earlier quake. In the same town a person was also killed when a house collapsed.

In Rovereto sul Secchia, a priest was killed by a falling beam when his church partially collapsed on him. Father Ivo Martini was visiting the church, which had been damaged in the earlier quake, to see if he could salvage a statue of the Madonna.

In Cavezzo, where a number of industrial buildings damaged on 20 May collapsed, a woman reportedly died in a furniture factory. Two cheesemakers were injured in the area when large wheels of Grana Padano cheese fell on them from shelves.

Deaths were also reported in San Felice sul Panaro, Concordia and Finale Emilia. A woman in Rolo was in a serious condition after taking fright during the quake and leaping from her second floor window.

Rescuers were searching through collapsed structures in Cavezzo, Medolla and Mirandola as dozens of aftershocks were registered throughout the area, five of which were over four in magnitude.

A castle in the town of Finale Emilia, which was damaged on 20 May, reportedly suffered further damage on Monday. The roof of the cathedral in Mirandola collapsed.

Thousands of locals are living in tents and temporary accommodation in the wake of the first quake, afraid or unable to return to their homes.

On Tuesday, the Italian prime minister, Mario Monti, asked people in the earthquake zone to "have faith" in rescue services. In Bologna, authorities were phoning up to 12,000 elderly residents individually to offer advice as aftershocks continue.

"The fact that workers are again dying in these new shocks makes me think that factories were not rendered safe before sending people back to work," said Susanna Camusso, head of the CGIL union.

Experts have said that the area was not considered at risk of seismic activity until new studies were carried out in 2004.

In Parma, a football friendly between Italy and Luxembourg due to be held on Tuesday evening was called off. The car manufacturer Ferrari sent employees home from its assembly line in Maranello "to allow them to reach their families".

Schools were evacuated across the Emilia Romagna region, but also in Florence in Tuscany. A hospital was reportedly evacuated in Modena and train services at Bologna were delayed for checks to the lines.

People in Bologna rushed into the street at the moment of the quake, which was felt in Milan, Genoa and in the Veneto and Trentino regions. A statue in Venice collapsed as the quake struck.