A 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck early on Monday near Florence in central Italy, but regional authorities said it did not seem to have caused significant damage.

The epicentre was just off Marradi, a town about 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) north-east of Florence, at a depth of 8.4 kilometres, the Italian Geophysics and Volcanology Institute (INGV) said.

The quake hit at 0310 GMT and was followed by several aftershocks, INGV said.

"At the moment there are no particularly critical situations following the earthquake with its epicentre in Marradi", Tuscany Governor Eugenio Giani wrote on Facebook, adding that checks on possible structural damages to buildings were ongoing.

 

 

(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing Federico Maccioni)