Rubble from a collapsed building lies on the ground in the city of L'Aquila after a strong earthquake rocked central Italy early this morning. Officials said more than 70 people had been killed, 1,500 were injured and thousands more were homeless. Warnings were issued about the possibility of additional quakes.

L'AQUILA, Italy Officials say more than 70 people have been killed in an earthquake in central Italy and that 1,500 people have been injured. Tens of thousands were homeless.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi and civil protection chief Guido Bertolaso spoke to reporters after reaching the central Italian city of L'Aquila. The city was hit by a powerful earthquake as residents slept early this morning.

Berlusconi warned that more quakes were possible and said no one would be allowed to remain in damaged homes. He said many buildings in the city's historic center were at risk of collapse.

Bertolaso told reporters that "the victims are even more than 70."

The earthquake's epicenter was about 70 miles northeast of Rome near the medieval city of L'Aquila. It struck at 3:32 a.m. in a quake-prone region that has had at least nine smaller jolts since the beginning of April. The U.S. Geological Survey said today's quake was magnitude 6.3, but Italy's National Institute of Geophysics put it at 5.8.

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, arriving in L'Aquila hours after the quake, said the death toll was likely to rise as rescue crews clawed through the debris of fallen homes.

L'Aquila is the capital of the Abruzzo region and lies in a valley surrounded by the Apennine Mountains. The quake hit 26 towns and cities in the area. Castelnuovo, a hamlet of about 300 people 25 kilometers (15 miles) southeast of L'Aquila, appeared hard hit, and five were confirmed dead there.

L'Aquila Mayor Massimo Cialente said about 100,000 people were homeless. It was not clear if that estimate included surrounding towns. Some 10,000 to 15,000 buildings were either damaged or destroyed, officials said.

Berlusconi declared a state of emergency, freeing up federal funds to deal with the disaster, and canceled a visit to Russia so he could deal with the quake crisis.

In L'Aquila, slabs of walls, twisted steel supports, furniture and wire fences were strewn about the streets.

The last major quake to hit central Italy was a 5.4-magnitude temblor that struck the Molise region on Oct. 31, 2002, killing 28 people.