AKIPRESS.COM - A pair of earthquakes rattled central Italy late Wednesday, sending fearful residents running into the streets not far from where a powerful temblor killed nearly 300 people in August, USAToday reports.

“It was a very strong earthquake, apocalyptic,” Marco Rinaldi, mayor of the small town of Ussita, told the ANSA news agency. “People are screaming on the street and now we are without lights.”

Rinaldi added, "Many houses have collapsed. Our town is finished."

"There have been collapses," Mayor Mauro Falcucci of Castelsantangelo, near the epicenter, was quoted by The Independent as saying. The area is "under a deluge" as relief efforts begin, he said.

There were scattered reports of damage to buildings in the region, including pieces of masonry crumbling, Ornella De Luca, a spokeswoman for Italy’s civil protection agency, told the Associated Press. About 60 aftershocks rocked the area, according to the CBC. The temblors were felt as far away as Rome, more than 90 miles to the south, according to Voice of America.

At least two people were wounded in the first quake, but there were no immediate reports of deaths or others injuries in either event.