AKIPRESS.COM - A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck central Italy on Thursday morning in the same region hit by recent strong quakes, The Guardianreports referring to the U.S. Geological Survey said.

It said the temblor was very shallow, only 10km deep, and was centered 51.5km southeast of Perugia.

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake is considered moderate and is capable of causing considerable damage. The shallow depth would have intensified the shaking at the surface.

Two earthquakes measuring 5.5 and 6.1 hit the area a week ago, followed by a 6.6 magnitude quake on Sunday, the biggest temblor to strike Italy for 36 years.

Sunday’s earthquake reduced historic towns and villages in the Apennine mountains to rubble on Sunday, displacing 15,000 people.

Then the worst-affected areas were Umbria, Marche, and parts of rural Lazio – where the town of Amatrice was leveled by an earthquake in August, killing 300.