Four earthquakes have struck Italy, shaking buildings in Rome and Florence just months after almost 300 people were killed in one of the worst disasters in living memory.

Residents of the capital described their homes and offices shaking when the first tremor struck at around 10.25am local time (9.25am BST).

The US Geological Survey (USGS) measured the initial quake at magnitude 5.3, placing the epicentre in central Italy at a depth of six miles (10km).

Students and teachers after being evacuated from the Machiavelli school after a series of earthquakes were felt in Rome (EPA)

It was followed 50 minutes later by a stronger 5.7 magnitude quake, which caused Rome's metro to be evacuated as a precaution, with some schools calling parents to pick up their children. Just 10 minutes later, a third earthquake measuring magnitude 5.3 hit.

The fourth earthquake struck shortly after 2.30pm local time (1.30pm BST) with a magnitude of 5.2, the USGS said.

Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said there was no immediate confirmation of any deaths. “Fortunately, there are no victims so far, but certainly this repetition of strong quakes is alarming for people who have already been so sorely tried," he told a news conference in Berlin.

Their epicentres were recorded at similar depths in Italy's seismically active central region, just miles from Amatrice, the town devastated in August's earthquake, which killed 234 of its residents.

The tower of one of its churches was toppled on Wednesday after surviving the previous disasters.

A 5.3 earthquake was the first to hit (USGS)

Much of the region is buried under more than a metre of snow, cutting off electricity and rendering roads impassable, complicating transport and emergency response efforts.

Maurizio Pelosi, the mayor of Capitagno, said that roads in and out of the town were blocked by snow even before the quakes.

A hotel worker in the town near their epicentres, Giuseppe Di Felice, said people could not get out of their homes.“It's apocalyptic,” he added.

The three significant earthquakes were accompanied by more than 70 almost continuous tremors that shook the region, including several over magnitude 4, as recorded by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre.

The quakes were also felt in Lazio, Abruzzo and Marche, La Repubblica reported, being followed by four smaller aftershocks.

Small tremors have reportedly been felt in Rome for several weeks but Wednesday's was the biggest seismic event in several months.

Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is carried away after having been rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is carried away after been rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers work following an earthquake that hit Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers work following an earthquake that hit Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers carry an injured man among damaged homes after a strong heathquake hit Amatrice on August 24, 2016 AFP/Getty Images Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A general view following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, is seen in this August 24, 2016 handout picture provided by Italy's Fire Fighters REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers and people walk along a road following an earthquake in Accumuli di Rieti, central Italy, August 24, 2016 REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy People survey the devastation in the town of Amatrice Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy The earthquake hit the border of three regions, and the USGS measured an additional seven significant tremors in its aftermath Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures A mother embraces her son in Amatrice, central Italy, central Italy, 24 August 2016, following a 6.2 magnitude earthquake EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Residents look in collapsed buildings in Amatrice, central Italy, 24 August 2016 EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures An injured woman is carried by rescuers amid the rubble of collapsed buildings in Amatrice, central Italy, 24 August 2016, EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Resident survey the rubble in Amatrice, central Italy, on 24 August 2016 EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Collapsed buildings in Pescara del Tronto, in the Marche region of central Italy, 24 August 2016 EPA

It comes after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake killed at least 299 people in the country's central regions in August.

That was followed by at least two more deadly earthquakes in Umbria and Marche in October, both measuring over 6 on the Richter scale.

Reconstruction efforts continue in towns and villages reduced to rubble by the disaster, which forced thousands of people to shelter in emergency camps.

Italy's Apennine mountains lie along an active fault line between the Adriatic and Eurasian plates, causing frequent seismic activity.