Earthquake kills six and devastates historical heritage in Italy
A 5,9 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale left at least 50 injured in the early hours of Sunday morning, 35 kilometers from the Bologna region; churches, castles and monuments were completely destroyed.
Filipe Mauro _Opera Mundi- At least six people died and about 50 were injured due to the earthquake that occurred this Sunday, the 20th, in northern Italy. According to Demetro Egli, head of Civil Defense in the region, the tremor reached a magnitude of 5,9 on the Richter scale.
Churches, castles, and historical monuments were completely destroyed. Even hours after the major seismic shock, small tremors could still be felt. At the epicenter, north of Bologna, the magnitude reached six on the Richter scale. The earthquake was felt throughout the country, from the Liguria region to Veneto.
In a factory in Bondeno, in the province of Ferrara, Emilia Romagna region, a 29-year-old Moroccan worker died while finishing his shift at five in the morning. The roof of the warehouse collapsed and a beam reportedly struck his head. Other workers were not injured.
Nicola Cavicchi, who was substituting for a colleague, and Leonardo Ansaloni, who finished his shift at six in the morning, worked in the firing department of the San Agostino ceramics factory. The roof of the building also collapsed and fell on top of them. Their deaths were confirmed by Victor Battagia, a representative of the local union.
A 37-year-old German woman who was in Italy for work died in San Alberto di San Pedro in Casale, Bologna, due to a panic attack during the earthquake. Another victim, a 100-year-old woman who lived in San Agostino, also died due to panic caused by the tremors.
In 2009, a 6,3 magnitude earthquake devastated the L'Aquila region of Italy, killing approximately 300 people. According to the Italian Minister of Culture, Lorenzo Ornaghi, "after an initial inspection, the damage to cultural heritage appears to be significant."
Second tremor
An aftershock measuring 5,1 on the Richter scale struck the Emilia-Romagna region (northern Italy) at 15:18 PM local time (10:18 AM Brasília time), causing further building collapses.
According to Civil Defense sources, a firefighter fell from the fourth floor of a building in the city of Finale Emilia, in the province of Modena, where part of the Clock Tower, a 14th-century structure, collapsed. This information comes from the Italian broadcaster SkyTG24.