Another big earthquake hits northern Italy; death toll rises (UPDATES)

Northern Italy has been hit by another deadly earthquake, a week after a quake in the region killed seven people.

The Associated Press said the bodies of two factory workers were found in a collapsed building, raising the earlier death toll of 15 to at least 17 as rescue efforts continued in the quake-hit Emilia-Romagna region.

Reuters reported that at least 200 were injured and seven people were still missing.

The quake registered a magnitude 5.8, according to Australia's ABC.

The dead included four people in Mirandola, BBC News reported. Three deaths were reported in San Felice and one in Cavezzo.

Citing the US Geological Survey, the ABC reported that the quake hit at 7 a.m. 24 miles northwest of Bologna and less than 19 miles from Modena, at a depth of 6 miles.

People ran out into the streets from shops and offices in Milan, Bologna and the Aosta Valley, close to the French border, while in Pisa — home of the iconic leaning tower — offices were evacuated. There have been several aftershocks since the early morning, BBC News reported.

Britain's Daily Mail cited Italian media as reporting that earthquake caused more buildings to collapse in the areas already affected by the 6.0-magnitude May 20 quake, where thousands were still sleeping outdoors in tents.

Today's earthquake toppled buildings damaged by the May 20 quake in Mirandola, Finale Emilia, Sane Felice and Cavezzo, Italian media reported, according to BBC News.

The number of people made homeless by the second quake went up to 14,000, after 6,000 were already rendered homeless by the previous quake.

The area has experienced more than 20 aftershocks since May 20, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

More from GlobalPost: Quake-hit Italians sleep outdoors fearing aftershocks

The May 20 quake was felt throughout northern and central Italy.

"The situation is one of great fear and uncertainty," said the provincial head of the Modena police (at the quake's epicenter), Salvatore Iannizzotto, according to Reuters.

Alberto Silvestri, the mayor of San Felice sul Panaro, said, "The situation is very serious, some people are stuck under the rubble."

More from GlobalPost: Earthquake rocks northern Italy, killing 6 

CBS reported that Tuesday's quake was felt across the border in Austria.

Train lines connecting Bologna with other northern cities were stopped while authorities checked for any damage, while schools and shops across the region were evacuated.

Prime Minister Mario Monti said, "I want to assure everyone that the state will do all that it must do, all that is possible to do, as fast as it can to guarantee the return to normality in a region so special, so important, so productive for Italy," in a news conference on Tuesday, according to Reuters.