Initial assessments indicate that an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 shakes Italy's Adriatic coastearly on Wednesday morning that did not result in any significant property damage or personal injuries.
It was felt in Rome, which is on the opposite side of the region from where the earthquake occurred, as well as in the northern provinces of Veneto, Friuli, and Trentino. The earthquake occurred shortly after 7 a.m. (1 a.m. ET).
A representative for Italy's Civil Protection told Reuters that there are currently no reports of injuries, and the agency tweeted that it was continuing to do checks on the ground.
According to the Italian Geophysics and Volcanology Institute (INGV), the epicenter of the earthquake was located 35 kilometers (22 miles) offshore from Pesaro, a seaside city in the eastern Marche province. The INGV also reported that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 7 kilometers (4 miles).
In the wake of the earthquake, the schools in Pesaro and other adjacent cities were shuttered as a precaution, and the rail traffic that goes through Pesaro along the coast was briefly interrupted.
According to the website of Italy's railtrack provider Rfi, previously closed railway lines were being gradually reopened after undergoing safety assessments by professionals.
According to a statement released by her office, the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, was monitoring the situation from Rome and was "in constant contact" with the authorities in charge of the Civil Protection and the leader of the Marche region.
As residents of Ancona's city center rushed into the streets in fright, signs of falling rubble could be seen in the city center. The region that is now known as Central Italy is one of the most seismically active areas in all of Europe.
It was stated that the initial quake could be felt throughout the northern region of Italy, including Romagna, Bologna, and Rome, as well as in the neighboring countries of Croatia and San Marino.
An estimated 16 million people in Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Vatican felt the earthquake, according to tweets from the Italian authorities. These countries are separated by more than 300 kilometers.