Italy was hit with an earthquake on Friday. A 5.2-magnitude quake hit Tuscany and was felt throughout northern Italy. No serious injuries were reported.
"We are checking to see whether any damage has been caused," a civil protection spokeswoman told AFP, adding that the quake struck at a depth of around 5.0 kilometres (3.1 miles).
The quake hit 2.0 kilometres from the city of Fivizzano in the province of Massa and Carrara in Tuscany. However it was also felt from Bologna to Florence. The quake caused a panic among residents. They rushed out of their houses and into the streets.
According to Seismologist Marco Mucciarelli from the national experimental oceanographic and geophysics institute told SKY Italia television said that there were also tremors felt in Venice and in far northern Italy, but these were aftershocks of the original earthquake.
"There are likely more to come," Mucciarelli said, adding that there were "big problems with communication" in the towns and cities near the epicentre of the quake. This communication disruption slowed efforts to check if there was any damage.
Witnesses say the earthquake only lasted for a few seconds. According to some Italian media sources, there were reports of damage to houses in Lunigiana in Tuscany and elderly people were suffering from shock. Luckily no serious injuries or collapsed buildings were reported.
Italy's Equal Opportunities Minister Josepha Idem was forced to cut a speech short and the quake hit in the middle of it. The town hall where the speech was being given was evacuated.
Travel was also disrupted as local trains had to stop service. However the speed train from Milan to Bologna continued without any problems, Italy's rail service said.
Earthquakes are taken very seriously in the country after two powerful earthquakes caused significant damage in May 2012. Several homes and businesses in Emilia Romagna were wrecked and 25 people died.
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