Residents in central Italy were waking up to scenes of devastation this morning after a strong earthquake rocked the heart of the country.

As currently stands, at least 37 people were killed in the 6.2 magnitude earthquake while 150 are missing, as rescuers still search for survivors.

While other residents were fleeing their homes and running into the streets. A family of four were also trapped under the rubble and showing no signs of life.

Many of the dead were in the village of Pescara del Tronto which was levelled to the ground and there were fears the number of casualties could rise.

Much of the town of Amatrice was reduced to rubble and a family of four were feared dead nearby in Accumoli.

The shallow quake, estimated to have struck after 3:30am at a depth of 6 miles, was felt across a broad section of central Italy, including the capital Rome where people in homes in the historic centre felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks.

Although it struck at a shallow depth of 10km, its intensity was compared to the Aquila earthquake in April 2009 in which 309 people died. The epicentre was around Accumoli where several people died.