A tremor of magnitude 5.5 occurred off the coast of Rimini, Italy, and was felt throughout central Italy and parts of the Balkans.
On the Adriatic shore, houses rocked for several seconds, and there were reports of minor damage but no casualties.
Because of probable track damage, schools were closed in portions of central Marche, and trains were held in the city of Ancona.
According to Italian officials, the depth of the earthquake was 8 kilometers (5 miles).
It was felt in Rome in the west, Bologna in the northeast, as well as in Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina across the Adriatic.
The initial, most powerful tremor occurred at 07:07 (06:07 GMT) and was followed by a series of minor tremors.
Ancona’s city center and train station exhibited evidence of falling debris, as inhabitants fled into the streets in terror. According to Italian news sources, trains were suspended on multiple routes, including the route between Ancona and the capital, Rome.
A citizen of Fano, a coastal town between Rimini and Ancona, told the Ansa news agency that the streetlights began to wobble like twigs and that people rushed into the streets.
Massimo Foghetti, a local Fano television host, was doing a press review when the studio began to tremble.
Despite the widespread anxiety, the fire department reported receiving no requests for assistance.
Central Italy is one of the most seismically active regions in Europe. In 2016, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake killed 299 people, the majority of whom were inhabitants of the scenic mountain village of Amatrice.
