Recovery crews search frantically for Italy quake survivors

At least 159 people have been killed and more than 360 injured in an earthquake that hit a mountainous area of central Italy. The magnitude-6.2 quake struck at 3:36 in the morning local time, 100 kilometres northeast of Rome, not far from Perugia. Many of the dead were in the historic town of Amatrice, where the mayor says three-quarters of the town was destroyed. Many people are still believed to be buried under rubble.

A street in Amatrice, central Italy, after the quake (AAP)