The earthquake struck at 3.36am local time in the Perugia region about 100 miles north east of Rome.
While the town of Amatrice was one of the worst hit areas, the tremors were felt as far as the capital where buildings shook for up to 20 seconds.
While the authorities continue the task of hunting through rubble for more survivors, authorities are already warning people to expect the death toll to rise.
The head of the civil protection department has already compared the earthquake to the one in Aquila in April 2009 when 309 people were killed.
