Central Italy has been hit by a series of earthquakes exacerbated by an ongoing coldsnap.<br /><br /> Amatrice, destroyed in a fatal earthquake that left around 300 dead in August, was once again shaken to the core.<br /><br /> Snow covers areas damaged by the #ItalyEarthquakes https://t.co/HQVYa8WSF3 pic.twitter.com/jcNwb19bJM— YouTube Newswire (@ytnewswire) January 6, 2017<br /><br /> Residents have taken to the streets to call for central government help to accelerate the reconstruction process.<br /><br /> The latest tremors hit the three neighbouring regions of, Abruzzo, Lazio and Marche.<br /><br /> Schools have been closed and the Rome underground shut as a safety precaution.<br /><br /> The area, north of the capital, has suffered a number of earthquakes in recent times and seismologists believe a further disaster could soon strike the region.<br /><br /> Pope Francis meets with survivors of central Italy’s earthquakes https://t.co/ERCu9TX1sr pic.twitter.com/eof3Hksc5X— CatholicNewsIreland (@CathNewsIreland) January 5, 2017<br /><br /> Scientists have long known that the central Italy is vulnerable to tremors because the region is being stretched in a north-east/south-west direction at a rate estimated at 3mm per year. <br /><br /> Why are there so many #earthquakes in Italy? https://t.co/h94xWl8JAF pic.twitter.com/xy9tE34H76— Horizon Magazine (@HorizonMagEU) December 9, 2016<br /><br /> This is due to the separation of the subterranean tectonic plates on which Italy sits.<br />
