4.5-magnitude quake shakes northern Italy, no casualties reported

Milan, June 9 (Xinhua-ANI): An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 shook northern Italy early Saturday morning, but no casualties were reported.

The quake struck at 4:04 a.m. local time (0304 GMT). The epicenter was located between the cities of Belluno and Pordenone, in northeastern Italy, at a depth of 7.1 km, according to Italy's Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

Some aftershocks were registered in the night in north-central Emilia Romagna region, where two recent earthquakes measuring 5.9 and 5.8 degrees left 26 dead, hundreds injured and thousands displaced.

Local authorities were checking buildings in the quake-hit areas, and have warned of more shocks in the following weeks.

On Friday, Italian civil protection department said another powerful quake may hit north-central Italy as the "sequence in act" may cause another fault to shift.

Prime Minister Mario Monti said at a press conference his government has stepped up prevention efforts, sending hundreds of police and technicians to check the buildings in the areas at risk. (Xinhua-ANI)