5.9-magnitude quake hits northern Italy, killing at least 4

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted northern Italy in the early hours of Sunday, killing at least four people, local media reported.

One night worker was killed when a plastics factory collapsed, while two others died in a nearby ceramics factory near the central city of Ferrara, according to ANSA news agency.

A 47-year-old woman died of heart attack during the strong quake, the state Rai television said.

Several buildings, including churches and historic towns, reportedly collapsed while thousands of panicked people rushed to the streets in various towns.

"There might be other victims, and many people were injured. The situation is getting worrying," Paola Gazzola, civil protection councillor of Emilia Romagna region, told Rai. Local authorities ordered residents to stay out of their homes.

According to the Italian Institute of Volcanology, the quake was centered at 10-20 km from central Modena with a depth of 6.3 km. Eight aftershocks had struck the area.

In 2009, an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude killed nearly 300 people in the central city of L'Aquila.