【】UPDATE: Aug. 25, 2016, 8:22 a.m. BST

UPDATE: Aug. 25, 2016, 8:22 a.m. BST 。 Death toll is now at least 247 dead: 190 in Rieti province and 57 in Ascoli Piceno province, according to Italy Civil Protection。

An earthquake with a magnitude estimated at 6.1 rattled central Italy early Wednesday. 。

By Wednesday afternoon, Italian Premier Matteo Renzi said at least 120 people were dead, most in a mountainous area straddling the regions of Lazio and Marche, with others under rubble, Italy's civil protection agency said. 。

The agency, which is coordinating the rescue effort, gave the preliminary toll as rescue teams continued to claw through debris in hard-hit towns.。

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Social media users are reporting the collapse of numerous buildings in the town of Amatrice and Accumoli, in the Rieti province. 。

State-run RAI radio said people ran into the streets in the Umbria and Le Marche regions shortly after the quake struck just after 3:30 a.m. local time.。

The epicentre was in the Rieti province 100km (65miles) north-east of Rome, and the quake hit at a shallow depth of 10km, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. 。

Mashable ImageCredit: ingvterremoti。

Credit: ingvterremoti。

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has put the magnitude at 6.2.。

Mayor of Amatrice, Sergio Perozzi, told RAI radio that "half of the town is gone". 。Mashable Top StoriesStay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news.Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter。By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.。

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"There are people under the rubble. There's been a landslide and a bridge might collapse," he said.。

He later added that he fears "dozens of victims" trapped under the rubble.。

This aerial view of Amatrice, posted by the Italian firefighters, shows the level of destruction in the town:  。

Tweet may have been deleted。

Tweet may have been deleted。

Tweet may have been deleted 。

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Tweet may have been deleted 。

Tweet may have been deleted 。

Tweet may have been deleted 。Facebook has activated its Safety Check -which allows people in the area to mark themselves as "safe" - after the devastating quake: 。The head of Italy's civil protection department compared the earthquake's intensity to Aquila in April 2009, in which 309 people died. 。The Associated Press contributed reporting.。