A strong aftershock rattled central Italy early Thursday as thousands of Italians in the region were still coping in the aftermath of Sunday’s deadly quake in nearby L’Aquila.

Thursday’s 5.2-magnitude temblor occurred at 2:53 a.m. (8:53 p.m. ET Wednesday) about 45 km (28 miles) from L’Aquila, the epicenter of Sunday’s 6.3-magnitude quake that killed at least 260 people this week, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the latest aftershock.

Aftershocks have heightened anxiety in the area — including a moderate 5.6 magnitude temblor that struck the area Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledged Wednesday that the government quickly would help rebuild homes destroyed by the earthquake in L’Aquila. Nine bodies remain unidentified, he told reporters.

Government teams have surveyed 20,000 homes — house by house — within 600 square kilometers (232 square miles), and were issuing certificates of habitability for any structure that escaped major damage, Berlusconi told CNN.


Source:  The CNN Wire