Quake kills 3, knocks down church bell in northern Italy

Quake kills 3, knocks down church bell in northern Italy

From Barbie Nadeau, For CNN

May 20, 2012 -- Updated 0544 GMT (1344 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Three people are killed by the earthquake, the civil protection agency says
• NEW: The number of injuries is expected to rise as workers head toward remote villages
• The USGS says a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck northern Italy

Rome (CNN) -- A strong earthquake struck early Sunday in northern Italy, killing at least three people and knocking down a church bell in the region, authorities said.

Two people were killed in a ceramic factory in Sant'Agostino di Ferrara, and one person died when a workshed collapsed in Ponte Rodoni di Bondeno, according to Elisabetta Maffani, spokeswoman for Italy's civil protection agency.

The 6.0-magnitude quake occurred just after 4 a.m. (10 p.m. ET Saturday), 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) outside Camposanto, northwest of Bologna, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

In the town of St. Agostino, the quake knocked down a church bell.

Authorities were still assessing damage in the region, the civil protection office said. The agency said it anticipates more injuries as rescue workers make their way to remote villages in the mountainous area.

In January, the same area was struck by a 5.3-magnitude quake.

In 2009, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the central Italian city of L'Aquila, killing more than 300 people and causing widespread destruction.

CNN's Joseph Netto contributed to this report.

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