ROME -- The capital’s schools have been closed and two churches in the historic centre have been deemed unsafe by firefighters Monday, after carrying out inspections to them as a consequence of the magnitude 6.5  earthquake that hit central Italy.

 Sunday morning’s 6.5 quake -- the strongest to hit Italy since the 1980 Naples quake killing thousands -- was felt even in the Italian capital, where it sparked fear and caused people to descend onto the streets of the Eternal City.

 The churches are St Francis’s Church in the Monti district of the capital and one on the piazza of St Eustice. St Barnaby’s Church in Marino, Castelli Romani has also been declared out of bounds. The Church of Sait Yves at La Sapienza also received damage to its famous church spire. Monday saw recurring waves of panic over the city's artistic and cultural heritage sites.

 Rome’s Basilica of St Paul has a big crack but was reopened after the firemen’s controls. However, the quadriportico area of the church remains blocked off due to technical controls still being carried out. Part of the nave of the Basilica of St Lorenzo outside the Walls has been closed off due to falling rubble. Mazzini Bridge in Rome has also been closed off due to a crack in its structure.

 The mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi announced Monday in a Facebook post that the schools, in many cases already very fragile, in the capital will remain closed today. “The administration intends to close schools out of precaution so that the technicians and those responsible for security can carry out all the controls needed to evaluate whether the earthquake has caused serious damage or not,” she posted.

 Some cracks have been identified in roads around the Eternal City, and a tramline was temporarily stopped due to inspections to the metal joints. It has now been reopened. Metro lines A, B and B1 have are now also functioning again after having been closed for technical checks.

 Inspections are also underway in the Colosseum and across the whole archaeological area of Rome. For now, no serious consequences have been identified.

 The quake also caused damage to a few flats in the capital, and in an apartment block in Bartolomeo Cristofori street in the Marconi zone, an elevator fell, stopping between two floors. Luckily, there was nobody inside at the time.

 nkd