ROME, 30 Oct. 2016 (AP) — The Latest on the powerful earthquake that has rocked already stricken central and southern Italy (all times local):
Old city near epicenter hard hit by Italy quake
The ancient city of Norcia, famed for its Benedictine monastery and its cured meats, is one of the locations hardest-hit by the latest earthquake to rock Italy.
Eyewitnesses said the St. Benedict cathedral, the 14th century cathedral in one of the city’s main piazza, crumbled in the Sunday morning quake and only its facade remains standing. Priests prayed in the piazza amid the rubble.
Norcia city assessor Giuseppina Perla tells the ANSA news agency, “It’s as if the whole city fell down.”
The U.S. Geological Service says the earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 was centered 6 kilometers (3 miles) north of Norcia.
The city’s ancient walls suffered damage, as did another famous Norcia church, St. Mary Argentea, known for its 15th century frescoes.
Emergency workers are racing to determine if any people have been killed or injured in the latest earthquake to rock central and southern Italy.
The Sunday morning quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 was centered in a mountainous area straddling the central Italy regions of Umbria and Marche.
The head of the civil protection authority in the March region, Cesare Spuri, says there have been reports of buildings collapsing in many cities.
A pair of powerful quakes on Wednesday, technically aftershocks from an August earthquake that killed nearly 300 people, may have helped save lives on Sunday.
Many people still were sleeping in cars or had been evacuated to shelters or hotels in other areas following those strong jolts, leaving the most quake-prone historic centers largely empty of residents.
The Telegraph, 30 Oct. 2016- Italy has been hit by another strong earthquake just days after damaging tremors hit the centre of the country,
The quake, which struck near Norcia, comes nearly two months after a major earthquake killed almost 300 people and destroyed several towns in the region.
Sunday’s quake measured magnitude 6.6, the largest so far, and was at a depth of only 1.5km (0.9 miles).
BBC News, 30 Oct. 2016 – A strong earthquake has struck near Norcia in central Italy, destroying numerous buildings.
The quakes come nearly two months after a major earthquake killed almost 300 people and destroyed several towns.
Sunday’s quake measured magnitude 6.6, larger than the August quake and several aftershocks last week, and was at a depth of only 1.5km (0.9 miles).
There were no immediate reports of casualties, but tremors were felt in the capital Rome.
The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the quake was 68km south-east of the regional centre of Perugia and close to the small town of Norcia.
Monks at the monastery of San Benedetto, an international Benedictine community in Norcia, tweeted an image of the Basilica of St Benedict destroyed by the earthquake.
Frightened residents rushed into squares and streets after the quake, at about 07:40 local time (06:40 GMT), AP reported.
ABC News- A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck central and southern Italy Sunday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or death from the quake, which struck at 7:40 a.m.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center put the magnitude at 6.6 or 6.5 with an epicenter 82 miles northeast of Rome and 42 miles east of Perugia.
The region has experienced temblors the past week, which have left thousands of people homeless. This morning’s earthquake sent existing damaged buildings crumbling, reported The Associated Press.