Two powerful quakes hit Italy read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/1423-two-powerful-quakes-hit-italy

Two powerful earthquakes struck central Italy about 50 miles north.

The second quake with a magnitude of 6.1 was 3.2 kilometers north of Visso and 58 km from Perugia, the USGS reported.

Just a few hours earlier, a magnitude-5.5 quake struck the same region. The epicenter was about 9 kilometers away, south-southwest of the town of Visso.

 The first quake hit at 7 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) between Perugia and Macerata, according to ANSA.

This part of Italy is full of narrow roads linking small stone villages. Rescuers are fearful of mudslides and even of risking bringing heavy equipment up the narrow roads.

There have been no reports yet of injuries, although there was damage in Visso and another town, Campi, where the historic church, San Salvatore, was destroyed by the tremors the first severely damaged the 15th century structure and the second finished it off.

Streetlights, likely powered by generators, remained on in Campi, but the town's houses remained dark.

In many small towns, in the pre-dawn hours, there is little light, further hampering rescue efforts rescuers are forced to listen for people calling for help.

In Campi, hundreds of people were sleeping in their cars, with blankets covering the windows.

The cars are parked everywhere streets, gas stations, parking lots. Some residents have taken their dogs with them in their cars.

Local media said one man had suffered a heart attack.

Residents were uncertain as to what might happen next, and expressed worry that another, bigger tremor, might cause even more damage.