The tremor hit the same region in northern Italy where a quake 10 days ago killed seven people.
Milan and Bologna were also shaken by the quake, it is reported.
According to the Italian media, three died when an industrial shed collapsed in Medolla. Three people were also killed in San Felice, two in Mirandola and one in Cavezzo.
Many historic buildings in Cavezzo now lie in ruins, it was added.
The quake hit 40km north of Bologna and 60km east of Parma, Reuters said. While office workers were evacuated in Bologna, the tremors could be felt as far away as Venice, the Austrian border and Piedmont.
The earlier quake on May 20 was the worst to hit Italy since the L’Aquila tremor that killed nearly 300 people in 2009.
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