The death toll from a devastating earthquake in central Italy rose to at least 247 people early on Thursday after rescue teams worked through the night to try to find survivors under the rubble of flattened towns.

The magnitude-6.2 quake struck mountain communities 140 km (85 miles) northeast of Rome at 3:36 a.m. on Wednesday as people slept, destroying hundreds of homes. It was relatively shallow at 4 km (2.5 miles) below the surface.

Italy sits on two fault lines, making it one of the most seismically active countries in Europe.