(VOVworld) – Dozens of people were injured when three earthquakes struck central Italy, including Perugia city where many Vietnamese students are studying.

Destruction in the village of Borgo Sant'Antonio near Visso, central Italy after the earthquake on October 26 (Photo: AFP/ VNA)

The Vietnamese embassy and the Vietnamese Students Association in Italy are attempting to contact quake localities for more information on the status of Vietnamese citizens there.  

The first quake hit Valnerina city around 7.11 p.m with a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was in the Nera valley. The quake caused a power outrage and destroyed scores of houses. 2 hours later a 6.4 Richter scale earthquake hit 71 kilometers from Perugia, the capital of the Umbria region. Rescue teams have been deployed to the quake areas. Later, the US Geological Survey reported that another earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 on the Richer scale had struck the same area.