A new strong earthquake has hit central Italy on October 30, Reuters reports citing the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and local broadcasters.
The 7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes near of Norcia, 100 miles from capital Rome.
This comes only three days after two more tremors shook the region on October 26, leaving villages partly destroyed.
Photo Getty Images
There were no immediate reports on damage or casualties caused by the quake.
But local RAI TV reports that the quake was powerful enough to wake the residents of Rome, who reported walls of the buildings shaking.
Initial reports on the magnitude of the tremors varied – while USGS and Italian media talked of a 7.1-strong earthquake, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the tremor was 6.6-magnitude.
Italy’s National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks (CGR) cautioned on October 28 that more powerful earthquakes could hit the region in the nearest future, identifying at least three areas at risk for further seismic activity.
“There is no current evidence that the [seismic] sequence underway is coming to an end,” the commission warned.
Italy has held state mass funeral for some of the 290 people killed in August 24 powerful earthquake.
Thirty-five victims from the town of Arquata were mourned at a sports hall in the regional capital, Ascoli Piceno.
The death toll from the 6.2-magnitude earthquake, which struck a mountainous central region, has again risen as more bodies were found.
Italian PM Matteo Renzi was among those attending the funeral along with President Sergio Mattarella, who earlier visited Amatrice, the town with the most casualties.
One of the children’s coffins contained the body of Giulia Rinaldo, whose younger sister survived the earthquake because she was under Giulia’s body.
Photo Getty Images
One of the firefighters, Andrea, had left a moving note on Giulia Rinaldo’s coffin, apologizing for arriving too late, and signing it with a heart symbol.
The coffins will be taken for burial to a cemetery near Arquata, a local official told Ansa news agency.
Most of the earthquake’s victims were Italian, but several foreigners were among those killed.
More aftershocks were registered in the early hours of August 27, one with a magnitude of four.
The ground beneath Accumoli, another severely affected village, sank 8in as a result of the earthquake, satellite images obtained by Italy’s scientific authorities show.
The district which sank is shown in red on this image compiled from data from a Japanese satellite and published by Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).
Flags are flying at half mast across the country as Italy remembers victims of the quake.
More than 200 people died in Amatrice alone. Along with Arquata and Accumoli, Pescara del Tronto was also hard-hit.
Many bodies have also been brought to a makeshift morgue in an aircraft hangar in the city of Rieti, where relatives have been identifying loved ones.
The first funeral for one of the earthquake’s victims was held on August 26, for the son of a state official who died in Amatrice.
At least 388 people have been treated in hospital for their injuries while more than 2,000 people were made homeless.
The earthquake hit in the early hours of August 24, 65 miles north-east of Rome.
Italy’s government has been criticized for failing to prevent deaths after the 2009 earthquake in nearby L’Aquila left 300 dead.
Historic towns do not have to conform to anti-quake building regulations, which are also often not applied when new buildings are put up.
In addition to emergency funds, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi canceled taxes for residents and announced a new initiative, “Italian Homes”, to tackle criticism over shoddy construction.
Matteo Renzi also said that it was “absurd” to think that Italy could build completely quake-proof buildings.
A state of emergency has been declared in Italy’s regions worst hit by August 24 earthquake as hopes of finding more survivors fade.
Italian PM Matteo Renzi has pledged €50 million in funds for rebuilding.
At least 268 people are now reported dead and 400 were injured. Rescue teams have continued to search the rubble of toppled buildings for a second night.
However, hundreds of aftershocks have hampered the efforts of the 5,000 rescuers.
Another magnitude-4.7 tremor struck on August 26.
In addition to the funds, Matteo Renzi canceled taxes for residents and announced a new initiative, “Italian Homes”, to tackle criticism over shoddy construction.
Photo ANSA
He also said that it was “absurd” to think that Italy could build completely quake-proof buildings.
The move follows criticism in the Italian media over building standards in high-risk areas. Some of the buildings that collapsed had recently been renovated.
Historic towns do not have to conform to anti-quake building regulations, which are also often not applied when new buildings are put up.
The 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit in the early hours of August 24, 65 miles north-east of Rome in mountainous central Italy.
The worst affected towns – Amatrice, Arquata, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto – are usually sparsely populated but have been swelled by tourists visiting for summer, making estimates for the precise number missing difficult.
More than 200 people died in Amatrice alone.
Bodies are still being found in the town, including one discovered in the rubble of the Hotel Roma in the city on August 25.
An official with the fire department, Lorenzo Botti, admitted they were facing a race against time.
However, other rescuers said there was still hope, noting that one survivor was pulled from ruins in L’Aquila in 2009 three days after an earthquake that killed more than 300 people.
Search teams have asked locals to disable their Wi-Fi passwords to help rescue workers communicate more effectively.
Police have also arrested a man for attempting to break into and loot an empty home in the town, Ansa reported.
Italy’s earthquake death toll has risen to at least 247 as thousands of rescuers continue efforts to find survivors.
According to officials, dozens are believed trapped in ruined Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto, in mountainous central Italy.
The search went on through the night, and there was a strong aftershock which rocked already damaged buildings.
More than 4,300 rescuers are using heavy lifting equipment and their bare hands.
Many of the victims were children, the health minister said, and there were warnings the toll could rise further.
The 6.2-magnitude quake hit at 03:36 local time on August 24, at 65 miles north-east of Rome.
Photo Getty Images
There were several hundred tremors after the quake, some of which were felt in Rome.
The latest death toll was given on Thursday morning – 190 deaths in Rieti province and 57 in neighboring Ascoli Piceno province.
Rescuers said they had pulled five bodies from the ruins of the Hotel Roma in the historic town of Amatrice. As many as 70 tourists were staying at the hotel when the quake struck. Many are feared to be in the rubble, though several were pulled out and given medical care.
Yesterday there were cheers in the village of Pescara del Tronto when a young girl was pulled alive from the rubble after being trapped for 17 hours. Almost all the houses there had collapsed, the mayor said.
The earthquake struck small towns and villages in the mountainous area where the regions of Umbria, Lazio and Le Marche meet.
Italy’s earthquake death toll has risen to at least 120, PM Matteo Renzi has said.
Other 368 people have been injured in the earthquake that hit a mountainous area of central Italy, he added.
The 6.2-magnitude quake struck at 03:36 local time, 65 miles north-east of Rome, not far from Perugia.
Many of the dead were in the historic town of Amatrice, where the mayor said three-quarters of the town was destroyed, and in nearby Accumoli.
Many people are still believed to be buried under rubble.
“This is not a final toll,” Matteo Renzi warned as he gave the latest figures.
The prime minister had earlier paid tribute to the volunteers and civil defense officials who had rushed to the scene in the middle of the night and used their bare hands to dig for survivors.
Photo ANSA
He promised “no family, no city, no hamlet will be left behind”.
The earthquake was felt across Italy, from Bologna in the north to Naples in the south. There have been dozens of aftershocks.
Hardest hit were the small towns and villages in the mountainous area where the regions of Umbria, Lazio and Le Marche meet.
Italy’s civil protection department said that at least 73 people were now known to have been killed.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said it had recorded more than 200 aftershocks by 15:00 on August 24.
Italy is no stranger to earthquakes: in 2009 a tremor killed more than 300 people in L’Aquila and in May 2012 two tremors nine days apart killed more than 20 people in the northern Emilia Romagna region.
Rescue teams from around the country have been sent to the affected region.
The area is mountainous and access is difficult. Tent camps are being set up for those who need shelter, while others will be accommodated in buildings such as gymnasiums.
Many of the people affected are on holiday.
The national blood donation service has appealed for donors to come forward.
Mediterranean seismicity is driven by the great collision between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates; but when it comes down to the specifics of this latest quake, the details are far more complicated.
The Tyrrhenian Basin, or Sea, which lies to the west of Italy, between the mainland and Sardinia/Corsica, is slowly opening up.
Scientists say this is contributing to extension, or “pull-apart”, along the Apennines. This stress is compounded by movement in the east, in the Adriatic.
The result is a major fault system that runs the length of the mountain range with a series of smaller faults that fan off to the sides. The foundations of cities like Perugia and L’Aquila stand on top of it all.
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