UPDATED 9.53pm: Rescuers are scrambling to find survivors of Italy's devastating earthquake.

LISTEN ABOVE: Rome correspondent Jo McKenna spoke to Larry Williams

At least 21 people have been confirmed dead after a massive 6.2 quake hit the central part of the country at 3.36am local time.

The mayor of the central Italian town of Accumoli says a number of buildings have been badly damaged by the quake with a family of four caught under rubble and showing no signs of life.

The quake, located 76 kilometres southeast of Perugia, was felt as far as Rome.

It was very shallow, only four kilometres deep, the US Geological Survey said.

Italy correspondent Jo McKenna is in Rome, and told Larry Williams the shake was felt from Naples in the south to Rimini on the Adriatic Coast.

The streets in that area are blocked, and people are gathering in sports grounds, she said.

#Norcia #terremoto @mante pic.twitter.com/8y3UEY8KQq

— elisabetta favale (@elisabettafaval) August 24, 2016

 

Ms McKenna said some in some areas there are just piles of rubble.

"Emergency services are still trying to get into some of the damaged areas and assess the damage and find out whether people have been trapped or indeed died."

CNN correspondent James Reynolds has just arrived in the hill top town of Amatrice, which is one of the worst hit towns.

Tthe town's mayor is predicting half of all buildings have been destroyed which Reynolds says would be a good estimate.

"This main street, I'd say about a third of the buildings are damaged beyond repair so certainly the mayor's estimate of half the town destroyed, it's difficult for me to verify at the moment, but it is easy for me to say there is significant damage here."

"I've seen some sniffer dogs in the last few minutes be instructed to go inside the building to see if there are any survivors trapped inside the rubble. There are relief workers, ambulance workers. I've seen policemen as well."

An earthquake expert at Adelaide University Sandy Steacey said there've already been a number of aftershocks, and they'll keep coming.

"These aftershocks often bring down buildings that were damaged in earlier earthquakes. It makes it very difficult for emergency services trying to get people out of damaged buildings, but putting themselves at risk."

The town of Amatrice's hospital has had its roof caved in and patients have been carried outside.

Amatrice mayor, Sergio Pirozzi, has called the quake a "tragedy". Speaking to Radio Rai, he said:

"I'm trying to contact the services. The town doesn't exist anymore. The ancient doors have come down. We need help from the civic protection.

"There is no light, it's all gone off. It's all rubble, it's a tragedy."

Mr Pirozzi went on to say: "We are trying to organise to clear the streets. I haven't managed to get to the hospital yet."

Another #earthquake now. The situation is serious in the towns of Amatrice and Castelluccio di Norcia near Perugia and Rieti.

— Andrea Mazzocchetti (@Erian_A) August 24, 2016

Reuters' chief correspondent in Rome, Chrispian Balmer said the death toll is expected to climb as the extent of the damage is uncovered.

"Buildings in the town have clearly been badly damaged. We've seen pictures of rubble in the street, debris. Some buildings have collapsed."

Ms McKenna said the Apennine Mountains run through the centre of Italy, which is an earthquake-prone country.

"This looks like the most serious one that we've seen since 2009, the Laquila quake where 308 people died."

State-run Radio Rai reports that the desks in their Rome offices shook and reports that it was felt across the peninsula from the Tirreno Sea to the Adriatic Sea.

It said there were two quakes, one around magnitude 6.0 with the epicentre close to Cumuli (Rieti), the other 4.8 magnitude.

Radio Rai said people ran into the streets in central Umbria and Le Marche regions shortly after the quake struck.

Alessandro Orfei, a journalist working for local news, spoke to Radio Rai from Nocera Umbra: "We felt the quake really strong. Confused situation. No damages to people reported so far, in Norcia people on the streets to monitor damages. Still feeling aftershocks."

Mr Balmer told Larry Williams four towns and villages have borne the brunt of the quake.

He said the area is popular with tourists, and there's likely to have been a lot of people in the villages when the quake hit.

"And of course because it happened so early in the morning everyone would have been in bed. We are not sure many people managed to get out."

New Zealander Marian Tolich and her husband are holidaying in Pesaro on the Adriatic Coast and felt the quake.

She said it all started with a loud noise and then the whole room started to shake.

"We were both thinking where shall we go, what shall we do and then it stopped. It would have gone on for a good 15, 20 seconds. It seemed forever."

She said it was just after 3.30am local time when the two heard a loud noise.

"And then the whole room started shaking and the bathroom door was banging back against the wall. We were holding on to each other. It felt like it went on for quite a long time."

Ms Tolich said about 20 minutes later there was another smaller shake.

Michael Gilroy is in Montepulciano, around 100km from the epicentre of the quake, but said he doesn't feel safe going back inside the old hotel building he's staying in.

"It's a hotel. The staff doesn't stay on premises so we're kind of on our own. There are some locals here and we are all together but haven't seen authorities come through here yet."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says at this stage there's no indication of any New Zealanders been affected by the earthquake in Italy.

A spokesperson for MFAT said the New Zealand Embassy in Rome is in contact with Italian authorities, but right now it appears no New Zealanders have been caught up.

There are currently 475 New Zealanders registered on the Ministry's SafeTravel website as being in Italy.

The last serious earthquake in Italy was in 2009 when the Laquila quake killed 308 people.