South Korea on Thursday expressed "deep condolences" for the victims and their families affected by a deadly quake that recently hit central Italy.

In a spokesman's statement, the country's foreign ministry also hoped that they can move past the sorrow and shock of the natural disaster as soon as possible through a swift recovery of their lives.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake rattled the central region of Italy on Wednesday (local time). Foreign media reports showed that the death toll has risen to 159, but they said that it is difficult to confirm an accurate number of casualties, given that thousands of vacationers had flocked to the region when the quake hit.

Meanwhile, a foreign ministry official here said that no South Korean casualties have been reported so far in relation to the quake. He said there have been no South Korean nationals reported missing in the quake area. (Yonhap)