A new earthquake has struck northern Italy, killing at least 15 people, injuring hundreds and forcing thousands to flee their homes.
Officials said that the 9am tremor left 200 injured and a further seven missing, trapped under the rubble of houses and warehouses in the Emilia-Romagna region.
The Italian government confirmed that 15 had been killed – more than twice the number killed in an earthquake on 20 May which also had its epicentre near the city of Modena. Many of those affected by the earlier quake are still living in tents, and the number now forced to leave their homes has doubled to 14,000.
Three people were reportedly killed in the badly damaged village of Cavezzo, near the epicentre. Appealing for help from the government and Europe, the mayor of Cavezzo, Stefano Draghetti said: “It’s a disaster, I’ve never seen anything like it. An endless series of very strong tremors after those of May 20, which had already brought everything to its knees.”
With a magnitude of 5.8, Tuesday’s tremor was less strong than the 20 May quake, but has caused more death and destruction. It struck 40km north of Bologna and 60km east of Parma, at a depth of 9.6km (six miles).
Initial rescue efforts were hampered by problems with the mobile phone network and the railway network around the city of Bologna, which also felt the quake, as did Milan. Italian media reported that buildings damaged by the 20 May quake have now collapsed in Mirandola, Finale Emilia, San Felice and Cavezzo. In San Felice sul Panaro three workers were killed by a collapsing warehouse while the Baroque cathedral in Carpi was reportedly seriously damaged as was the Te Palace in Mantua.
The quake struck one of Italy’s most productive regions. Car maker Ferrari and motorcyle manufacturer Ducati both closed factories in the region for safety reasons. Several large aftershocks followed – one of 5.6 in magnitude. Schools and buildings were evacuated as far south as Florence. The Po plain, where the quake struck, was traditionally considered less of an earthquake risk than other parts of Italy.
The Prime Minister Mario Monti said “I want to assure everyone that the state will do .. all that it possible to do, as fast as it can to guarantee the return to normality in a region so special, so important, so productive for Italy.”
Civil authorities had begun setting up new emergency campsites to provide some shelter for the night.
This was the deadliest earthquake to strike Italy since the ancient city of L’Aquila was partially destroyed in 2009, causing some 300 deaths.