A powerful earthquake in Italy led to colossal destruction. The number of wounded and missing is in the hundreds

Earthquake in Italy: no casualties: Italy travel news.

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On Wednesday, around noon Moscow time, an earthquake of magnitude 5.4 occurred in Italy. The epicenter of geological activity was in the central regions of Lazio, Abruzzo and Marche. The first shocks were followed by more powerful ones - up to 5.7 points. The movement of the earth's surface was felt in Rome, due to which the metro of the Italian capital stopped working for some time.

Despite the partial destruction of buildings in the cities of Accumoli and Amatrice, people were not injured. The press service of the Federal Tourism Agency reports that the agency did not receive information about the affected Russian tourists. The statement also notes that Rostourism is in constant contact with the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Italy.

At the same time, seismologists warn of the possibility of avalanches in the mountainous regions of the Marche region, which are traditionally of interest to ski tourists, and recommend that possible restrictions on ski areas be taken responsibly.

Several states have already offered their assistance to Rome, and Russian rescuers are ready to join the operation. Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the people and leadership of Italy. Initially, even the Italian authorities did not understand the scale of the destruction, the strikes took place late at night. How serious everything was, it became clear only at dawn. The destruction is colossal.

It is important to remain calm. If you move the wrong stone, the delicate balance will be disturbed, and the woman will no longer be able to breathe. They tell her that help is close, hold on, and she, embarrassed, admits that she really wants to go to the toilet. As if that's the biggest problem right now.

People under the rubble. How many? How many are alive and how many are dead, no one knows. Dozens, hundreds? Here is another woman released from stone captivity. Live. The stretcher is carefully passed along the chain from hand to hand. Italians are encouraged to donate blood en masse.

Several cities and towns are in ruins. Underground strikes shook several areas at once: Lazio, Umbria, Marche, Abruzzo are now trying to recover from a nightmare. The most terrible destruction in the towns of Acumoli and Amatrice.

The saved one speaks, and then choking with tears, hugging loved ones, and choking with the understanding that today they could all remain under a pile of stones, which was their home a few hours ago. Amatrice yesterday and today. Yesterday, a nice quiet Italian town, where time seemed to have stopped. Today, a place from a horror movie with groans and screams coming from under the rubble, and now even more frightening silence.

The neighboring town of Akumoli. Only 15 kilometers from Amatrice. Only 700 people live here permanently. But now it's vacation time. In Akumoli on the fateful night, according to the authorities, there could be up to 2000 people: relatives or just lovers of Italian mountain landscapes. Now there are also several thousand of our compatriots in Italy. Could any of them be in earthquake-affected yet non-tourist areas? The information is checked by our diplomats. So far, there are no reports of casualties.

Rescuers are still moving heavy equipment to Akumoli and Amatrice. It's complicated. Tight mountain roads. Tremors, and there were several of them, caused landslides and damaged bridges. As a result, the first emergency vehicles were able to reach some areas only in the morning, 3.5 hours after the earthquake.

In the morning, what happened in Acumoli and Amatrice began to be compared with the events in L'Aquila in 2009. Then the ancient city was practically wiped off the face of the earth. More than 300 dead. This time, L'Aquila was not affected, although it is located less than a hundred kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake. The city authorities have already stated: we will help as much as we can, we understand both the pain of loved ones and the problems of emergency services. Russian rescuers can also help in clearing the rubble. They are ready to fly to Italy at any moment.

For the inhabitants of the Apennines, earthquakes are, alas, almost an inevitability that has to be put up with. Italy is in a zone of increased seismic activity and weak fluctuations, with a magnitude of up to four, are constantly recorded. And every few years there are powerful blows, such as today.

The last strong earthquake was just four years ago. In May 2012, aftershocks occurred in the Bologna region, which turned entire villages into ruins. Architectural monuments that had stood for centuries were destroyed.

The Italians remembered the 2009 earthquake, near the city of L'Aquila, much more terrible. The tragedy then claimed more than 300 lives, one and a half thousand people were injured. On archival footage - the streets are completely littered with debris, palaces and cathedrals are destroyed.

The third point on the map of Italy is already in the south, in the Puglia region. In 2002, a school collapsed during an earthquake. Almost all the dead are children.

Aleksey Zavyalov, head of the laboratory at the Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences, told about what to expect today for the inhabitants of Italy: “Immediately an hour after the main shock, there was a second shock with a magnitude already somewhat lower, 5.5, and now this process is underway. For the current hour, the strongest events have occurred, with a magnitude of more than 4, somewhere around 8-10 events. And it is very good that the aftershock process is going on, because it removes the remaining stress in the source area and, as it were, removes the physical reason for the emergence of a new strong earthquake. I think that in Italy they will be observed during the first few days, that's for sure, and maybe within a few weeks.

The center of the city of Amatrici is practically wiped off the face of the earth. It is very difficult to bring heavy equipment here. The first point of the police cordon is located 5 km from Amatrici, heavy equipment accumulates there, it is driven by the military. We are talking about searchlights, powerful diesel generators. There are problems with the power supply. In the evening, the rescue operation will continue, a lot of light is needed in order not to miss time.

Here you can observe an atmosphere of unity, a lot of volunteers, doctors from different parts of Italy, everyone wants to help in some way. A Red Cross helicopter took to the skies. This is good news, it means that someone was found alive and transported to a medical center where they will receive qualified assistance.

A place for a mobile hospital is already being marked on the road. It should show up by the end of the day. The church plays a very important role here, church communities are gathering strength in order, among other things, to provide psychological assistance to those who have survived, those who have lost loved ones.

An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 hit Italy overnight, affecting several major cities. According to the newspaper Reppublica, 14 people died. The Federal Tourism Agency reported that Russian tourists should not be in places where the earthquake occurred.

According to the latest data, at least 14 people died in Italy as a result of a powerful earthquake that occurred in the central part of the country on Wednesday night, local media reported.

Earthquake in Italy today 24 08 2016

An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 was registered near the city of Terni, on the border of the regions of Lazio and Umbria in central Italy. According to Stefano Petrucci, mayor of Accumole, “a family, parents and two children remain under the rubble of the destroyed house, they show no signs of life.”

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has offered Italy the assistance of Russian rescuers in eliminating the consequences of the earthquake, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reports.

This proposal was made by the Minister for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Relief Vladimir Puchkov. He sent a telegram to Fabrizio Curcio, Director of the Department of Civil Protection under the Council of Ministers of Italy.

"I would like to offer practical assistance to the Russian Emergencies Ministry in the aftermath of the natural disaster," the minister wrote in a telegram.

Russian specialists from Cetrospas and the Lider Special Risk Operations Team may be heading to central Italy today. Our specialists from the humanitarian center located in the city of Nis in Serbia can also arrive there. Everything will depend on how quickly the authorities of the Iberian Republic respond to the offer of assistance from the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

Earthquake in Italy now photo

The first earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0, according to seismologists, occurred at 03.36 (04.36 Moscow time) on Wednesday. The epicenter of the earthquake was near the city of Accumoli in the Lazio metropolitan area at a depth of about four kilometers. The second shock of magnitude 5.4 was recorded at 04.34 (05.34 Moscow time) in the region of Umbria. Fluctuations in the earth's surface were felt in a number of cities in central Italy, including Rome and Bologna. Destruction was recorded in three Italian regions: Lazio, Umbria and Marche.

The mayor of the city of Amatrice told a local radio station that some buildings collapsed in the city center, under the rubble of which there are people. He also said that as a result of the earthquake, the city was left without electricity. According to Sergio Perozzi, "half of the city has disappeared."

“Roads to the city are blocked by rubble. People are under the rubble. There was a landslide and the bridge could collapse,” he said in an interview with local radio station RAI.

The Italian Cabinet, in turn, stressed that they had contacted all the heads of regional rescue services.

Earthquake in Italy Russian tourists

“We have a landslide on one of the roads, while the other, leading out of the city, passes over a bridge that is about to fall apart. People gather in sports centers. We don’t have electricity,” Pirozzi said.

“The push was so powerful! It was as if the bed was walking around the room with us,” Lina Mercantini, from Ceselli in Umbria, told Reuters.

According to the Associated Press, the mayor says it is necessary to bring in heavy equipment to clear the rubble and reach the wounded. When the host asked if there were any dead, he replied: “Look, there are no more houses here. I hope they help us."

The Russian Embassy in Italy does not yet have any information about the possible victims of the Russians as a result of a powerful earthquake that occurred on Wednesday night in the central part of the Apennine Peninsula, said Valeria Lysunkina, head of the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Rome. “So far there is no information about our citizens. Now we will start contacting the Italian side to find out the details, ”the agency quoted the interlocutor as saying. By telephone, the embassy also stated that none of the Russian citizens had turned to diplomats for help.

Earthquake in Italy now on the map

Russian tourists in groups that arrive in Italy through tour operators should not be in the place where the earthquake occurred, since this region of the country is not among the popular tourist destinations, Svetlana Sergeeva, adviser to the head of the Federal Tourism Agency, said on Wednesday. .

The mayor of the city of Amatrice said that the earthquake provoked serious destruction in the village. About 2,700 people live in the city. According to the mayor Sergio Pirozzi, there are people under the rubble of buildings.

Under the Council of Ministers of the country, an operational headquarters was created to coordinate search and rescue operations and eliminate the consequences of the earthquake.

According to the latest data, not one, but at least six people died in the town of Accumoli, two more died in Arquata del Tronto and five people in Amatrice. In addition, in the town of Pescara del Tronto, a child died as a result, his parents are under the rubble.

Earthquake in Italy on August 24, 2016

A spokesman for the US Geological Survey (USGS) said that hundreds of people could become victims of the earthquake.

“According to our forecasts, the economic damage could be significant,” the scientist said, explaining that the seismic resistance of a large number of buildings in the region leaves much to be desired. “With a probability of 35%, the death toll will be from 100 to a thousand. This is a very preliminary forecast,” he said.

In addition to professionals in their field, certified according to the international Insarag system, the Ministry of Emergency Situations can help Italian rescuers not only in clearing debris, but also in diagnosing buildings for stability. We have a mobile diagnostic complex "Struna" to determine the degree of damage to structures. In addition, our cynologists can come in handy in Italy. Hundreds more people may be under the rubble of buildings after a powerful earthquake.

Earthquake in Italy tonight

The Federal Agency for Tourism (Rostourism) reports that Russian tourists in groups that arrive in Italy through tour operators should not be in the place where the earthquake occurred, since this area of ​​the country is not among the popular tourist destinations, reports agency with reference to the adviser to the head of the agency Svetlana Sergeeva.

“Everyone remembers the terrible earthquake of 2009, when the capital of the Abruzzo region, the city of L'Aquila, was badly damaged and hundreds of people died. But even then, it was mostly Italians who suffered, not tourists, since this area in the mountains is not a popular tourist route among our compatriots,” she explained.

Earthquake in Italy now video

Earthquake in Italy 24 08 2016 video

The increasing tremors in Italy have recently become the number one topic in many media. Seismic activity maps constantly signal dozens of earthquakes every day in this region, with some of them reaching magnitudes of up to 6.6. For many inhabitants of the Apennine Peninsula, these phenomena were unexpected. In many cases, they rallied people to help each other, which helped save many people. After all, as the first foundation of ALLATRA "VALUE OF LIFE" says:

“The highest value in this world is human life. The life of any person must be protected as one's own, because although it is fleeting, it gives everyone a chance to increase their main value - their inner spiritual wealth, the only thing that opens the way to true spiritual immortality for the Personality.

Increase the main value of your life every day, for a person is suddenly mortal. Strive for perfection, match your personal choice and activity with the main meaning of your existence - the spiritual and moral transformation of yourself, serving the highest universal spiritual values.

Statistics speak of 110 earthquakes in this region with a magnitude above 3.0 in the period from 01/05/2016 to 08/11/2016 (for the last half a year).

Rice. 1. Map of seismic activity on the Apennine Peninsula and the eastern coast of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas with magnitude > 3.0 in the period 01/05/2016 to 08/11/2016.According toUSGS .

Scientists know today that the Apennine Peninsula, on which, in addition to Italy, there are also states such as San Marino and the Vatican, is located at the junction of three tectonic plates: African, Eurasian and Adriatic (Apulia). As a result, this region is characterized by mountain formations, volcanic and seismic activity.

Rice. 2. Tectonic structure of the Apennine Peninsula.

The Adriatic microplate once broke away from the African plate by the so-called transform fault, in which a new fault is located along the boundary of the lithospheric plate. The Adriatic plate is still moving towards the Eurasian plate and "dives" under the Apennine mountain range, moving from east to west and at the same time turning clockwise, creating stresses in the earth's crust. The Periadriatic Fault running through the Alps separates these two plates. Part of the oceanic crust of the African Plate is subducting at the southern edge of the Adriatic Plate, resulting in the formation of volcanoes in southern Italy.

“It is known that the African plate is slowly but surely sinking to the bottom. It is unlikely that Africa will sink, but Africa and Europe continue to converge. The question is how they will meet”,- Rinus Wortel, University of Utrecht (Netherlands).

The devastating earthquake that occurred in August and October 2016 in Italy was due to the movement of the Adriatic plate.

Rice. 3. Tectonic structure of the Apennine Peninsula. The arrows show the zones of compression and tension.

And the following figure shows the tectonic structure of Europe and the Middle East. After all, all the processes occurring in the earth's crust are interconnected. Consequently, an increase in activity in one of the regions can lead to a regular increase in activity in another.

Rice. 4. Tectonic structure of Europe and the Middle East.

Due to the complex geological structure, Italy is at risk:

Increased seismic activity. In 2016, we observe devastating earthquakes that occurred on August 24 (6.2 points), October 30 (6.6 points) and October 26 (6.1 points), etc.;

Mountain building (Apennines, Alps);

Volcanic activity. On the territory of Italy there are 13 volcanoes, 3 of which are gigantic - Vesuvius (sleeping), Stromboli and Etna (active).

Supervolcano - Phlegraean Fields Caldera ( ital. Campi Flegrei), located northwest of Naples on the shores of the Gulf of Pozzuoli (ital. Golfo di Pozzuoli). It also includes the coastal strip of the Tyrrhenian Sea ( ital. Mare Tirreno) at Kum ( ital. Cuma), as well as the islands of Nizida, Procida, Vivara and Ischia. The fields cover an area of ​​approximately 10 × 10 km. According to scientists, the last eruption of the Phlegraean Fields caldera occurred 39,280 years ago. The last activity of the caldera was recorded on November 29, 2015.

Rice. 5. Supervolcano - Phlegraean fields caldera (Italy).

Note that according to the observations of scientists, in contrast to the interconnected as communicating vessels of the Yellowstone (USA) and Aira (Japan) calderas, the Phlegrean Fields caldera does not pose a threat, at least in the coming years. But do not forget about the other active tectonic and volcanic phenomena mentioned above on the Apennine Peninsula.

It is worth noting that scientists from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, said that according to satellite photographs, due to the latest seismic activity in October 2016, the land in the Castelluccio area subsided by 70 cm.

In addition, according to representatives of the Italian Space Agency (Asi) and the Research Institute for Electromagnetic Survey of the Natural Environment (Irea), the earthquake of magnitude 6.6 that occurred on October 30, 2016 in central Italy, led to a significant deformation of the earth's surface over a total area of ​​1100 square kilometers.

Scientists, having studied images obtained from space, came to the conclusion that the territory adjacent to the city of Norcia (Umbria region) has shifted to the west by about 30 cm, while the area near the village of Montegallo (Marche region), on the contrary, has shifted to the east by about 40 cm

All these processes testify to the impending global cataclysms on planet Earth, for which it is necessary for all mankind to prepare in advance now. Speaking about preparation, it is meant, first of all, not the construction of bunkers (by the way, meaningless), but the purification of human relationships, the improvement of the atmosphere in society. If people extend a hand of friendship and help to each other, then even in the hour of difficult climatic tests, it will be much easier for all of us to survive them and worthily make a choice in favor of unity and friendship of all peoples of the world. The unification of people from all over the world on the basis of spiritual and moral values ​​can change the course of history.

“People have been dreaming of such a society since time immemorial, calling it in their legends the “Land of Good”, the “state of bliss”, the “golden millennium”, the “world of justice”, the “millennium”, that is, the future, which can approach through divine intervention, but achieved by human actions”, - from the book “AllatRa”.

“Given the impending global cataclysms, it is necessary for people themselves to begin to change their attitude towards themselves and towards society here and now. After all, it is not known who you will be tomorrow - a refugee or a host country, and what your chances of survival will be in this or that situation. In the modern world of global climate change, one cannot vouch for a single inch of land due to the manifestation of new extreme anomalies of nature, which pose a danger even to relatively stable areas of residence. In other words, no one is immune from all kinds of growing risks, and each of us can become a climate refugee tomorrow. In this regard, it is extremely important to globally and quickly change the values ​​of society from a consumer format to a spiritual and moral, creative format, where goodness, humanity, conscience, mutual assistance, friendship, the dominance of spiritual and moral foundations would come first in the relationship between people, regardless of their nationality, religion, social status and other conditional, artificial divisions of world society. When all people strive to create a life that is convenient for everyone around them, then in this life they will preserve themselves and their future.” From the scientific report ALLATRA SCIENCE “On the problems and consequences of global climate change on Earth. Effective ways to solve these problems”.

Prepared by: Ekaterina Ageichenko and Vitaly Afanasiev

Earthquakes are a distant and unknown to most people, but at the same time a very terrifying phenomenon. I think that there is no such person in our country who would not sympathize with the affected Italian families after the recent rampant disaster in Amatrice (Amatrice) and Accumoli (Accumoli).

Victims, destruction and, of course, fear are the constant companions of any disaster. Not only local residents are afraid of a repeat of the disaster, but also tourists who exclude Italy from the list of possible holiday destinations.

We propose to consider this problem in more detail and understand whether earthquakes in Italy and in are so terrible, as they are presented by the domestic media.

To understand why earthquakes occur in Italy, it is necessary to consider the tectonics of the earth's plates.

The shell of the Earth is divided into several large tectonic plates. Earthquakes occur as a result of the release of energy in the earth's crust due to tectonic displacements.

The southern part of the Italian peninsula is just located not far from the line where the Eurasian and African plates meet and push against each other, creating seismic tension. Large volcanoes (Etna), (Stromboli) and (Vesuvio) are very close to this zone.

Besides, Italy has a number of small faults along the Apennine ridge (Appennini). It is gradually elongated at a rate of about 3 mm per year. This slow stretch causes energy to build up in the earth's crust, which is then released during earthquakes.

Minor tremors occur almost daily. But they are so small that they go unnoticed.
Despite the fact that the territory of Italy is considered one of the most seismically active in Europe, it is worth noting that many large countries of the world, such as Japan, the USA, Britain, India, New Zealand, Australia and a number of others, are prone to earthquakes.

Vulnerable regions

The areas most prone to earthquakes in Italy were legislated in 2003 to reduce the effects of cataclysms through the construction and proper placement of earthquake-resistant structures.

According to the legal measure, the Italian territory is divided into 4 zones depending on the likelihood of earthquakes:

1. Zone 1 - the most dangerous areas where strong earthquakes can occur. Regions: Calabria (Calabria), eastern part (Campania), western part (Abruzzo) and southern part (Umbria) (these are areas located along the Apennine ridge), east coast (Sicilia), (Friuli-Venezia Giulia).
2. Zone 2 - These areas may be partially affected by strong earthquakes. Regions: most of Sicily (except the center of the west coast), (Basilicata), Molise (Molise), Marche (Marche), western Abruzzo, southeastern (Emilia-Romagna) and (Lombardia), western (Piemonte), west coast ( Tuscany).
3. Zone 3 - areas in which slight fluctuations are possible. Regions: western (Liguria), southwestern Piedmont, almost all of Emilia-Romagna, the central part of the region (Veneto), northern Apulia (Puglia), (Lazio), including (Roma).
4. Zone 4 - the least dangerous areas with a low probability of seismic activity. Regions: southern Puglia (the heel of the Italian boot on the map), (Sardegna), Valle d'Aosta (Valle d'Aosta), most of Piedmont, western and northern Lombardy, (Trentino-Alto Adige).

History of earthquakes

Over the past 2000 years, about 400 major earthquakes have been recorded on the territory of modern Italy, which claimed the lives of several thousand people.

One of the largest natural disasters that occurred in Italy in 1783 is called the Calabrian earthquake. Tremors with a magnitude of more than 5.9 points continued for almost 2 months. The number of people who died was estimated at about 80,000.

In the first hour of the earthquake on February 5, 1783, the magnitude reached 8 points. Within just 1 minute, about 100 villages in the Calabria region were razed to the ground. In some places, earth faults appeared more than a kilometer long. Witnesses claimed that "two mountains walked towards each other until they merged into one, intercepting the riverbed." Thus, new lakes appeared in the region, which were artificially drained after 30 years.

Several hundred people from the city of Scilla survived the initial tremors and fled to the beach for cover. Many of them drowned when repeated vibrations caused a tsunami. Thousands of people were killed by water in the cities of Reggio di Calabria (Reggio di Calabria) and Messina (Messina). Suffering continued in southern Italy and Sicily for the remainder of the winter. In addition, the last aftershocks, which occurred on March 28, killed several thousand more people.

The Calabrian earthquake of 1783 is considered to be one of the most devastating disasters in the history of Western Europe.

Italy has also suffered a series of deadly swings over the last century:

• 1908 Sicily and Calabria (magnitude 7.1). The cities of Messina and Reggio di Calabria were almost completely destroyed. The death toll reached 200 thousand people.
• January 1915 Abruzzo. A devastating earthquake leveled the city of Avezzano, killing 30,000 people. Many people died from severe frosts, left homeless.
• July 1930 Campaign. The 6.6 magnitude wobble claimed about 2,000 lives. Many people were saved by the fact that they were not at home, but were engaged in field work harvesting wheat.
• May 1976 Friuli. 6.5 magnitude aftershocks in northeastern Italy. About 1,000 people died, 2,400 were injured, and 157,000 were left homeless.
• November 1980 Campaign. With its epicenter at Eboli, the 6.9-magnitude quake killed 3,000 people and made about 200,000 homeless. Vibrated for 22 minutes after the shocks stopped.

• April 2009 Abruzzo. The 6.3 magnitude fluctuation left thousands of people homeless. Killed about 300. Tremors were felt even in Rome, located 100 km from the epicenter. Members of the National Commission for the Prevention of Disasters were found guilty of manslaughter due to late notification of the danger.

• May 2012 Emilia-Romagna. A magnitude 6 quake in northern Italy. 24 people died, hundreds were injured, 15,000 people were left homeless.

Echoes of earthquakes in Rome

Although Rome is considered a seismically safe area and has never been the epicenter of earthquakes, but in its history there are cases of tragic echoes of the elements that caused significant destruction.

So, for example, historians believe that the famous house on Valentini Street (Domus di palazzo Valentini) was once abandoned due to severe damage that appeared after strong tremors in the 5th century.

A terrible earthquake in 1349 with a magnitude of 6.9 in the Friuli region caused significant destruction in the capital of Italy. Thus, the famous Police Tower (Torre delle Milizie), located behind Trajan's Market (Mercati di Traiano), lost two floors and acquired a slight slope.

Seismologists say that it was the strongest catastrophe that destroyed part (Colosseo) and damaged the basilica (basilica di San Paolo). By the way, the basilica also suffered in each subsequent case, since it is located in the most vulnerable place - not far from. Francesco Petrarca witnessed the terrible destruction when he visited Rome in 1350. He describes abandoned buildings, destroyed churches, huge cracks in many structures. “Everything saddens,” he writes, “inspires chilling horror!”

But perhaps the most devastating earthquake to hit the city was the 1703 disaster that struck central Italy. Several cities such as Norcia were wiped off the face of the Earth, churches, palaces, monuments were destroyed. The Colosseum was damaged again. People have been sleeping on the streets for several weeks due to the ongoing aftershocks.

On this, the elements did not leave the city alone. Two centuries later, horrific destruction and death were repeated again. On January 13, 1915, at 7:55 am, the city began to shake, people ran out into the streets in a panic. Even the Swiss guards and prelates, leaving their posts, rushed to the exits in horror. Two buildings completely collapsed, was seriously damaged (Campidoglio), cracks appeared on the walls of hundreds of buildings, the Antonin column (colonna Antonina) turned on its pedestal. Now the base of the column is at the entrance to the Pinakothek where we invite you to.

2016: Consequences and affected areas

The media is full of pictures of destroyed buildings and bloody bodies, striking fear into the minds of people around the world. But is it all that terrible?

If you look closely at the dynamics of the number of victims in the history of Italian earthquakes, you can trace a natural decrease in the number of dead people. We invite you to familiarize yourself with what the republic faced this time.

24 August

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.2 shook central Italy on August 24 early in the morning. The tremors were caused by movement in the Tyrrhenian Basin (a seismically active zone in the Mediterranean Sea).

The epicenter of the earthquake was about 10 km southeast of the historic tourist town of Norcia. The aftershocks killed 297 people: 234 in Amatrice, 11 in Accumoli and 49 in Arquata del Tronto. About 365 injured people were taken to hospitals, while people with less serious injuries were treated on the spot. 238 people were pulled out of the rubble thanks to timely measures taken.

The mayor of Amatrice said that "half of the city is practically destroyed." Economic losses are estimated at 1 to 11 billion dollars.

Many medieval buildings have been reduced to ruins. In Amatrica, the façade and the rose-shaped window of the church of Sant'Agostino were destroyed. The museum dedicated to the artist Nicolo Filotessio (student) collapsed. The shaking was felt all the way to Rome (about 112 km southwest of the city). Cracks appeared in the Roman (Terme di Caracalla).

October 26 and 30

No sooner had Italy recovered from the summer catastrophe than it was struck by a new wave of tremors. A series of powerful earthquakes covered the country between the Marche and Umbria regions from 26 to 30 October 2016:

• Magnitude 5.5, 8 km southeast of Sellano (October 26 at 20:11 Moscow time). The tremors were barely felt in Rome, although half of my Roman friends didn't feel them. Several houses collapsed in the Marche region. There were power outages, telephone lines were not working.

• Magnitude 6.1, 3 km west of Visso (October 26 at 22:18 Moscow time). The consequences were less than expected. One man died after suffering a heart attack due to the earthquake.

• Magnitude 6.6, 6 km north of Spoleto (October 30, 0640 GMT). The village of Arquata del Tronto was destroyed. More than 40 settlements were partially destroyed. About 100,000 people lost their homes. The Basilica of Saint Benedict in Norcia was damaged. During the shaking, two women died of heart attacks.

The victims of the October disaster were avoided due to the fact that people managed to leave the buildings.

2017: earthquake on the island of Ischia

On Monday, August 21 at 20:57 local time in Italian (Ischia), an earthquake of magnitude 4 on the Richter scale struck. Its epicenter was located in the sea 3 km north of the island at a depth of 5 km. Seismologists reported that the earthquake is of volcanic origin, since the island itself arose 150 thousand years ago after the eruption of underwater volcanoes.

As a result of the rampant elements, 2 women died and 39 people were injured. The city of Casamicciola was hit. About 2,000 people were left without a roof over their heads and were promptly placed in hotels.

The good news that spread all over the world was the rescue of three brothers from the rubble of the destroyed building. The smallest, seven-month-old baby Pasquale, was found at night. He escaped with minor scratches. Eight-year-old Matthias was discovered in the morning, and teenager Kiro, 11, spent about 14 hours under the rubble. Their mother, who is 5 months pregnant, miraculously escaped through the bathroom window.

As noted, most of the destruction occurred due to dilapidation of structures and non-compliance with earthquake prevention measures during the construction of new buildings. At the same time, the legality of the latter raises some doubts, since the Italian authorities are making significant efforts to ensure that the damage from the rampant elements is minimal.

It is worth emphasizing that this is not the first time shaking has tormented the island. According to the "Catalogo parametrico dei terremoti italiani 2015", Ischia has been hit by earthquakes 12 times in the past. The last one is dated November 23, 1980. The most devastating thing happened on July 28, 1883. It left behind more than 2,200 dead out of a population of 4,000. But in most cases, fluctuations did not exceed 4 points and were localized in small areas.

Therefore, the scale of the disaster on August 21 can be considered insignificant. By the way, the inhabitants of the southern part of the island did not feel the slightest jolt.

Not a single scientist in the world can give a long-term forecast for the occurrence of natural disasters. It is impossible to say with accuracy whether there will be another earthquake in a year or in 20 years. Seismologists say that the Italian territory can be subject to serious shocks every 10-15 years.

It is impossible to prevent an earthquake, but it is possible to avoid casualties and destruction by building earthquake-resistant buildings. Today in Italy much attention is paid to the policy of disaster prevention. It is clear that buildings in small villages and historical buildings cannot be protected from the elements, but the construction of new buildings in large cities takes into account the vulnerability of the regions.

Of course, Italy is not safe ... Not safe, like all other countries on our planet. We do not know where and when nature will decide to show us its power: it will bring down showers and snowfalls or shake it up, spin a tornado or throw a meteorite. But the fact is that it is not worth living in fear.

Not going to Italy because of the possibility of earthquakes is like not eating for fear of poisoning, not becoming a mother for fear of losing your figure, and not loving for fear of being abandoned, while suffering from loneliness. Moreover, everything is calm in Rome and other big cities and we learn about many catastrophes from relatives and friends who, having seen the next story on the news, immediately call and worry.

The only fear we should have is to waste our time aimlessly. Rejoice, love, travel and remember: “Not the one who got into trouble is lost, but the one who lost his spirit!”. We are waiting for you in the Eternal City.

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