16 dead in Italian quake

At least 16 people were killed by a strong earthquake in Italy's central Abruzzo region early on Monday, Italian media reported. Police confirmed to the Ansa news agency that five people were killed in the small towns of Castelnuovo, one in Poggio Picenze, one in Tormintarte and two in Fossa including a three-year-old girl. Another four children died in a hospital in the Abruzzo capital L'Aquila, Ansa reported.

Some people were feared trapped in the rubble, Ansa reported. Public safety authorities in Aquila measured the quake at 5.8 magnitude, while the US Geological Survey put it at 6.3 magnitude and the Rome fire services reported a magnitude of 6.7. (AFP)