Quake hits Sicily after eruption by Mount Etna
Print Edition
An earthquake triggered by Mount Etna鈥檚 eruption jolted eastern Sicily before dawn yesterday, injuring at least 10 people, damaging churches and houses on the volcano鈥檚 slopes and prompting panicked villagers to flee their homes.
Italy鈥檚 Civil Protection officials said the quake, which struck at 3:19am, was part of a swarm of some 1,000 tremors, most of them barely perceptible, linked to Etna鈥檚 volcanic eruption this week.
Italy鈥檚 national seismology institute said the quake had a magnitude of 4.8 on the open-ended Richter scale and 4.9 on the moment magnitude scale, which relates to the amount the ground slips. It struck north of Catania, the largest city in the eastern part of the Mediterranean island.
But no damage or injuries were reported there.
鈥淓tna remains a dangerous volcano, and this country of ours is unfortunately fragile,鈥 government undersecretary Vito Crimi said as he reported 10 people injured.
The most seriously injured was a 70-year-old man who fractured ribs and was undergoing surgery for chest injuries.
Etna, the largest of Italy鈥檚 three active volcanoes, has been particularly active since July.
In recent days, Etna鈥檚 latest eruption has been shooting volcanic ash, heavy smoke and lava stones into the air, coating roads and homes nearby with ash.
A new fracture has opened near Etna鈥檚 southeast crater and lava has been flowing down an uninhabited slope.
The quake was felt in the upscale Sicilian resort town of Taormina and in other towns in eastern Sicily.
The Civil Protection agency said temporary shelters were being set up in gyms or municipal buildings for people whose houses were damaged or who were too frightened to return to their homes.
Similar volcanic activity on Etna has been observed many times in past decades, Andrea Billi, a geologist with the state National Council of Research, told RaiNews24.
This kind of activity 鈥渃an last days or weeks, but it鈥檚 unpredictable,鈥 he said.
Italy鈥檚 Civil Protection chief said it appeared the activity at Etna was calming down.
鈥淔rom a scientific point of view, we鈥檙e dealing with an isolated event.
鈥淭he technical experts tell us we鈥檙e heading toward a cooling of the lava.鈥
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