Earthquakes in Italy

Strong earthquakes rocked central Italy in October.


Two earthquakes occurred on Oct. 26, the first measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale and the second, 6.1, both centered near the town of Visso, located 45 miles east of the epicenter of the Aug. 24 earthquake in Umbria.


On Oct. 30, a quake measuring 6.6 occurred near the town of Norcia, only 10 miles north of the epicenter of the Aug. 24 quake. Hundreds of aftershocks, some measuring over 4 in intensity, were felt in the region.


Two more quakes, each measuring 4.8, caused further damage to towns in the area. One, on Nov. 1, was centered near Norcia again, and the other, on Nov. 3, struck two miles from Pieve Torina in the province of Marche, near the Umbrian border.


While the series of quakes caused only minor injuries, with no deaths reported, hundreds of homes, churches and historical buildings were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, and more than 15,000 people were left homeless.