A series of earthquakes measuring 5.3-5.7 magnitude struck central Italy yesterday, bringing fresh terror to an area still reeling from deadly quakes last year and struggling to cope with heavy snowfall
Rome: A series of earthquakes measuring 5.3-5.7 magnitude struck central Italy yesterday, bringing fresh terror to an area still reeling from deadly quakes last year and struggling to cope with heavy snowfall.
Monitors said the first quake, which struck at 10.25 am (0925 GMT) was around 5.3 magnitude and a second, some 50 minutes later, was put at 5.7 magnitude by the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre. It was quickly followed by a third, measured at 5.5.
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The tremors were felt across the Abruzzo, Lazio and Marche regions and also in Rome, over 100 km away.
Underground train services in the capital were suspended on safety grounds and the Italian foreign ministry and some schools were evacuated. Those schools that were not already closed due to snow in towns and villages closer to the affected area were also evacuated.
Emergency services mobilised helicopters to check the impact of the quakes.
There were no immediate reports of building collapses, but residents of the city of Aquila, which has been badly hit in previous earthquakes, rushed into the streets in scenes of panic.
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