Washington  - The United States will make emergency relief funds available to Italy as the death toll rose from an early morning earthquake in central Italy, a US official said Monday.

The amount of 50,000 dollars would be processed through the US embassy in Rome to help after the quake killed more than 150 people in the ancient town of L'Aquila and surrounding mountainous areas about 100 kilometres north-east of Rome.

L'Aquila, Italy  - The death toll from the heavy earthquake that struck central Italy early Monday had gone beyond 150, far higher than the last previous accounts, the Ansa news agency reported.

The temblor struck the ancient town of L'Aquila and the surrounding mountainous areas about 100 kilometres north-east of Rome in the early hours of Monday.

The agency cited hospitals in the quake-struck region north-east of the capital Rome in reporting the figure, which was well up on the previous toll of at least 90 people killed.

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L'Aquila, Italy  - Rescue workers, paramedics and soldiers spread out across central Italy Monday, sifting through the remains of buildings that were nearly decimated by an earthquake that struck in the pre-dawn hours.

The quake, which reportedly reached 6.2 on the Richter scale, left 90 people dead in a region about 90 kilometres north-east of Rome, according to the Italian news agency Ansa, citing rescue workers.

Rome  - Veteran striker Andriy Shevchenko has said he would like to stay on at AC Milan after his loan from Chelsea expires at the end of the season, the ANSA news agency reported Monday.

"My hope is to remain at Milan also in the next season," the 32-year-old Ukrainian international said. "At the moment, no decision has been taken."

Sheva left Milan in 2006 after seven seasons, helping the Devils win one Serie A title and one Champions League. He scored 173 goals on 296 donning the red-black jersey.

Berlin  - German Chancellor Angela Merkel sent her condolences to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, following Monday's devastating earthquake.

Merkel said she was shocked to learn of the disaster in central Italy that "left many dead and injured as well as rendering countless people homeless."

The chancellor extended her "deepest sympathies" to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.