A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit central Italy in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the United States Geological Survey said.

The shallow quake struck 10 kilometres (six miles) southeast of Norcia, a town in the province of Perugia in southeastern Umbria.

The quake was felt as far away as Rome, around 150 km away from the epicentre, and woke a number of people there including AFP journalists.