The ancient town of Norcia in central Italy is in ruins following the powerful earthquake which knocked its historical 13th century Basilica of St Benedict and other buildings to the ground.
Sunday’s earthquake was the latest in a series of seismic events to strike central Italy, and comes just two months after another violent earthquake hit the same area of central and southern Italy, killing 300 people and destroying several towns.
There was widespread devastation, with many buildings, already compromised by earlier quakes, suffering severe damage.
Many of the town’s residents had been evacuated after quakes on Wednesday, meaning they avoided the worst of the damage. The Civil Protection agency reported several injuries but no fatalities.
Authorities say it’s the strongest quake to hit the country since the Irpinia earthquake which killed more than 2,500 people in southern Italy in November 1980, with reports that the tremors were felt in the capital Rome, and as far away as Venice in the north.
The Basilica of St Benedict had survived the August shock but the force of this quake proved too powerful, causing the church to collapse.
The Monks of Norcia, who cared for the church built atop St Benedict’s birthplace, issued a statement confirming the basilica’s destruction. The statement also reassured the public that the monks are all safe despite the devastation.
Photos and videos have been released showing the monks and nuns standing in solidarity with locals turning to prayer after the disaster. Priests in the Umbria region have been told by Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti to hold masses outside for fear of building collapses, according to AP.
Other small towns are also reeling from the shock. The Mayor of Arquata del Tronto Aleandro Petrucci said: “There are no towns left. Everything came down."
"This morning's quake has hit the few things that were left standing. We will have to start from scratch," Michele Franchi, the deputy mayor of Arquata del Tronto, told RAI TV.
The Mayor of Ussita, Marco Rinaldi said:“I slept in the car, I saw hell.”
The government revealed an initial allocation of €40 million to deal with the aftermath of the quake on top of the money committed to the August quake relief efforts, according to Ansa.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has pledged to rebuild all homes and churches destroyed in Sunday's quake, Reuters reported.
"We will rebuild everything, the houses, the churches and the businesses," Renzi said. "Everything that needs to be done to rebuild these areas will be done."
Numerous buildings are said to have been destroyed across central Italy after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake, followed by aftershocks, rocked the peninsula on Sunday morning. No deaths have been reported, but Civil Protection says a number of people have been injured.
The US Geological Survey's website puts the magnitude at 6.6.
Initial reports on the magnitude of the tremors varied – while USGS and Italian media first talked of a 7.1 earthquake, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) said the tremor was magnitude 6.5 or 6.6.
Italy Civil Protection reported buildings collapsing in a number of locations following the tremors.
“No deaths have been reported, but there are a number of people injured,” Civil Protection chief Fabrizio Curcio told a news conference, as cited by Reuters, adding that at least one person was in serious condition.
Curcio added that 15,000 people had been left without electricity or drinking water, while roads were severely damaged, leaving access only to emergency vehicles. In addition, thousands of homes have been destroyed and people forced to seek shelter.
“There are between 10,000 and 100,000 people who will need to be assisted,” said Luca Ceriscioli, the president of the Marche region, adding that if the seismic activity does not stop, “you are likely to get to 100 thousand displaced people.”
The USGS says the quake was centered 6 km (3.7 miles) north of Norcia, a town in the province of Perugia. The epicenter lay some 10 kilometers deep.
Norcia, famed for its Benedictine monastery and its cured meats, is home to some 5,000 people.
According to RAI Radio, at least two buildings collapsed there - the Basilica di San Benedetto, the 14th century cathedral in one of the city's main piazza, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Argentea.
“It's as if the whole city fell down,” Norcia city assessor Giuseppina Perla told the ANSA news agency.
Authorities said many towns and villages already battered by the 6.2 quake in August had seen further damage.
"This morning's quake has hit the few things that were left standing. We will have to start from scratch," Michele Franchi, the deputy mayor of Arquata del Tronto, told RAI TV.
According to the mayor of Ussita, a commune in the Marche district with around 450 inhabitants, 90 percent of the buildings in the area were brought down by the quake. While in the town of Amatrice the Church of Saint Augustine lost its bell tower.
1 comment:
Earthquakes are naturally occurring events. (The science me) you think there are some wars in the heavenly realms all over the world? Giant spiritual battles currently in Europe. Muslims pray for the destruction of Europe at the Coliseum in Rome. Connection? Hmmm. They have surely sent Satan enough blood sacrifices in the middle east lately.
PRAY PRAY PRAY without ceasing.
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