Italian PM Orders Increased Military Presence in Quake-Affected Areas

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Wednesday charged the Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti to boost the military presence in the ares affected by the earthquake which happened earlier in the day, local media reported, citing sources in the government.

ROME (Sputnik) — According to askanews agency, the move was motivated by the desire to guarantee the maximum safety to the population of those areas, which were devastated by earthquakes in August and October 2016 and have been rocked again.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) announced the last earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3 (a downgrade from previously stated magnitude of 5.6), the one before was 5.7 and the earliest one was 5.3.

The epicenter of the earthquake is reportedly about 62 miles to the east from Rome.

There have been no reports of victims or damages yet.