MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin during a telephone conversation with Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi confirmed Moscow’s readiness to provide the necessary assistance to Rome in its earthquake clean-up operation, the Kremlin press service said in a statement.

"The Russian President conveyed his sympathy to the people affected by the earthquake that rocked Central Italy, and confirmed Russia’s readiness to provide all necessary assistance in the clean-up operation," the statement reads.

As reported, the two countries’ rescue services have been maintaining close working contacts.

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake jolted Central Italy on Sunday, October 30, at 7:40 local time, hitting the areas already hammered by the previous quakes on August 24 and October 26. It was the strongest earthquake to rattle Italy since 1980. The tremor and aftershocks were felt in many regions throughout the country including the country’s capital of Rome. Damage has been reported from 200 settlements in the regions of Umbria and Marche. The town of Amartice in the metropolitan region of Lazio, which has already suffered severe damage from the previous quake on August 24, has been almost completely destroyed.

According to Italy’s Civil Protection Agency, no deaths have been reported while around 20 individuals were injured as a result of the disaster. However, once an examination of the structural condition of the dwellings in the affected areas has been completed, the number of people who lost their homes may reach 100,000. That is the reason why this time the government will have to accommodate people in steel container shelters, though it avoided doing this after the August 24 quake.