ROME — Strong earthquakes struck central Italy early Wednesday, killing at least 10 people, trapping many others under debris and setting off tremors that awakened residents in Rome nearly 100 miles to the southwest.

The first, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake, struck at 3:36 a.m. near the town of Accumoli, in the province of Rieti, which the Civil Protection Department identified as among the hardest hit, along with the nearby towns of Amatrice and Arquata del Tronto.

The mayor of Accumoli, Stefano Petrucci, reported that six people had been killed there, the news agency ANSA reported at least two dead in Amatrice, and at least two more were said to have been killed in Pescara del Tronto in the province of Ascoli Piceno.

The death toll was expected to rise, with the Italian public broadcaster reporting that at least 24 people had been killed.