A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck cities in central Italy early Wednesday morning. The epicenter was Amatrice, two hours from Rome. Nearby towns such as Umbria, Lazio and Marche were also affected. The earthquake was followed by 200 aftershocks, one of them an hour after the first earthquake with a 5.5 magnitude.

Although Italy is one of the countries that hosts Chico State study abroad students, only one group is currently in Florence, four hours from Amatrice. None of them were affected by the earthquake, according to Study Abroad CoordinatorJennifer Gruber.

“The closest program we have [this semester] is two hours away in Viterbo,” Gruber said.

The Chico State students will return August 31.

Marion Charissa Cruz can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.