15 die as second killer earthquake adds to misery in northern Italy
Source: Agencies |
May 30, 2012, Wednesday
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A POWERFUL earthquake has killed at least 15 people and left 200 injured as it rocked a swath of northern Italy.
Factories, warehouses and churches collapsed, dealing another blow to a region where thousands are still homeless from a stronger quake just nine days ago.
The 5.8-magnitude quake drove thousands more from their homes in the Emilia Romagna region north of Bologna, one of the country's most agriculturally and industrially productive areas.
A senior Italian official said at least seven people were missing and the number of homeless in the region has swelled to 14,000 people.
The quake hit just after 9am with an epicenter 40 kilometers northwest of Bologna, according to the US Geological Survey - just a handful of kilometers away from where the deadly May 20 quake was centered.
It was felt from Piedmont in northwestern Italy to Venice in the northeast and as far north as Austria. It was followed by many aftershocks, some registering more than 5.0 in magnitude.
While yesterday's quake was about 100 times less intense than on May 20, its death toll was more than twice the earlier quake's toll of seven. In both, the dead included workers killed by collapsing factories and warehouses.
Civil protection officials said at least 15 people were killed and about 200 injured. Emergency crews were trying to sift through the twisted steel and broken stone, looking for victims.
In the town of Mirandola, near the epicenter, the church of San Francis crumbled, leaving only its facade standing. The main cathedral also collapsed.
The quake terrified many of the thousands of residents who have been living in tents or cars since May 20 and added thousands more homeless.
"I was shaving and I ran out very fast, half dressed," said a resident of Sant'Agostino, one of the towns devastated earlier this month.
Sant'Agostino's town hall, so damaged in the May 20 quake that it looked as if it had been bombed, virtually collapsed when the latest quake struck.
At a hastily arranged news conference, Premier Mario Monti pledged the government would do "all that it must and all that is possible in the briefest period to guarantee the resumption of normal life in this area that is so special, so important and so productive for Italy."
In the town of Concordia, the mayor had scheduled a town meeting for last night to discuss the aftermath of the first quake. Instead, Mayor Carlo Marchini confirmed the death of one person struck by falling debris.
Italy's friendly soccer match against Luxembourg, a warm-up for the Euro 2012 championships, was canceled. The game was due to be played yesterday in Parma.
Factories, warehouses and churches collapsed, dealing another blow to a region where thousands are still homeless from a stronger quake just nine days ago.
The 5.8-magnitude quake drove thousands more from their homes in the Emilia Romagna region north of Bologna, one of the country's most agriculturally and industrially productive areas.
A senior Italian official said at least seven people were missing and the number of homeless in the region has swelled to 14,000 people.
The quake hit just after 9am with an epicenter 40 kilometers northwest of Bologna, according to the US Geological Survey - just a handful of kilometers away from where the deadly May 20 quake was centered.
It was felt from Piedmont in northwestern Italy to Venice in the northeast and as far north as Austria. It was followed by many aftershocks, some registering more than 5.0 in magnitude.
While yesterday's quake was about 100 times less intense than on May 20, its death toll was more than twice the earlier quake's toll of seven. In both, the dead included workers killed by collapsing factories and warehouses.
Civil protection officials said at least 15 people were killed and about 200 injured. Emergency crews were trying to sift through the twisted steel and broken stone, looking for victims.
In the town of Mirandola, near the epicenter, the church of San Francis crumbled, leaving only its facade standing. The main cathedral also collapsed.
The quake terrified many of the thousands of residents who have been living in tents or cars since May 20 and added thousands more homeless.
"I was shaving and I ran out very fast, half dressed," said a resident of Sant'Agostino, one of the towns devastated earlier this month.
Sant'Agostino's town hall, so damaged in the May 20 quake that it looked as if it had been bombed, virtually collapsed when the latest quake struck.
At a hastily arranged news conference, Premier Mario Monti pledged the government would do "all that it must and all that is possible in the briefest period to guarantee the resumption of normal life in this area that is so special, so important and so productive for Italy."
In the town of Concordia, the mayor had scheduled a town meeting for last night to discuss the aftermath of the first quake. Instead, Mayor Carlo Marchini confirmed the death of one person struck by falling debris.
Italy's friendly soccer match against Luxembourg, a warm-up for the Euro 2012 championships, was canceled. The game was due to be played yesterday in Parma.
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