Italy Hit by Four Powerful Earthquakes

Italy was hit by four powerful earthquakes in the space of a few hours on Wednesday -- all of them above magnitude 5.

The earthquakes -- combined with the lack of power for 100,000 people, bad weather and risk of avalanches -- have created a situation that the Mayor of Canzano has called "extreme."

The epicenter of the earthquake is thought to be close to the town of Amatrice, which was hit by a disastrous 6.1 magnitude quake, and roughly 50 km from the site of a deadly 2009 earthquake that took the lives of more than 300 people.

The situation has been compounded by an avalanche that followed the earthquake, and which has buried a hotel in the mountain region of Abruzzo. Up to 30 people are feared missing. The ANSA news agency has quoted a rescuer as saying that there are fatalities, with others claiming that only two survivors have so far been accounted for.