Italy earthquake measures 5.2, causes some damage

An earthquake with a 5.2 preliminary magnitude struck northern Italy at midday Friday, causing some damage but no immediate reports of casualties.

Italy's Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said the quake occurred at 12:33 p.m. (1033 GMT) in a mountainous region near the Tuscan coast between the provinces of Massa e Carrara and Lucca.

Mayor Riccardo Ballerini of Lunigiana, near the epicenter, told Sky TG 24 that some buildings in his town had sustained damage, including collapsed walls, but that there were no reports of injuries.

The state railway shut down some local lines to check for damage.

The quake, which struck at a depth of five kilometers (three miles), was felt as far away as Milan, Verona and Florence, a radius of more than 160 kilometers (100 miles).

Television footage showed an interior begin to shake as Josefa Idem, Italy's equal opportunity and sports minister, was speaking at the Reggio Emilia city hall, some 70 kilometers away (40 miles). The event was halted and the building evacuated.

The news agency ANSA said many people in the town of Carrara near the epicenter left their houses in fear, but that there were no immediate signs of damage.