Six killed in northern Italy quake

Officials say at least six people have been killed in an earthquake in northern Italy.

The 6.0 magnitude quake struck near Bologna, a city with a population of about a million people, at around 4am local time. The shaking forced thousands of people from their beds and into the streets.

Officials say as many as 50 people have been injured.

Several towns have reported structural damage to a number of historic buildings and strong aftershocks have been felt in the region.

Three of the dead were working the nightshift at local factories. Another is reported to have died from a heart attack as a result of the quake.

The epicentre was in the plains near the city of Modena. Experts say it occurred at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres.

Rescue teams are checking reports that several other people have been buried under rubble.

Italy’s last major earthquake in 2009 killed nearly 300 people in the central city of L’Aquila.

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