Strong earthquakes , this morning shortly after 7, in central Italy and in particular in the Marche, but also felt in the north in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, lasting several seconds.

Houses shook in numerous cities including Pesaro, Ancona, Fano and Urbino, but also Perugia, Bologna and Emilia Romagna. The epicenter right in the Marche, off the coast of Pesaro.

According to a first estimate, the magnitude was 5.7 for the first shock, the following 3.1 and 3.4 . At the moment no personal injuries have been reported but checks are underway.

Great fear in the Marche, where many people have poured into the streets and where schools in some cities have been closed as a precaution . In Ancona in various parts of the city, debris and fragments of plaster fell . Railway traffic has been suspended for checks in some sections of the Adriatic line.

The crisis units of the Ministry of Culture have been activated to plan the first inspections in the areas affected by the earthquake and to check for any damage to the cultural heritage.

The operations rooms have received "over 1200 phone calls, the monitoring of the situation in the area continues" explained the governor of the Marche, Francesco Acquaroli, during a press conference. "At the moment there is no serious damage," he added.

(Unioneonline / ss)