{"id":915,"date":"2012-05-20T11:27:19","date_gmt":"2012-05-20T11:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/news\/2012\/05\/20\/deadly-northern-italy-earthquake-hits-heritage-sites\/"},"modified":"2012-05-20T11:27:19","modified_gmt":"2012-05-20T11:27:19","slug":"deadly-northern-italy-earthquake-hits-heritage-sites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/deadly-northern-italy-earthquake-hits-heritage-sites\/","title":{"rendered":"Deadly northern Italy earthquake hits heritage sites"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0<\/div>\n
An earthquake in northern Italy has killed at least four people and caused serious damage to buildings in several towns, local officials say.<\/div>\n
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The magnitude-six quake struck in the middle of the night, about 35km (22 miles) north of the city of Bologna.<\/div>\n
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The four victims were killed by falling masonry. Italian media report two more quake-related deaths.<\/div>\n
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The tremor caused “significant damage to the cultural heritage” of Emilia Romagna region, the government said.<\/div>\n
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The culture ministry said firefighters and civil protection workers were now examining damaged historic buildings.<\/div>\n
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It was the worst tremor to hit the country since the L’Aquila quake killed nearly 300 people in central Italy in 2009.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
‘Big bang’<\/div>\n
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The earthquake struck at a relatively shallow depth of 10km just after 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT).<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
It was felt across a large swathe of northern Italy, including the cities of Bologna, Ferrara, Verona and Mantua and as far away as Milan and Venice.<\/div>\n
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The tremor forced many terrified residents into the streets.<\/div>\n
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Two people were killed in Sant’Agostino when a ceramics factory collapsed.<\/div>\n
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The mother of one of the victims told local media that “he wasn’t supposed to be there. He changed shifts with a friend”.<\/div>\n
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Another person – believed to be a Moroccan national – was killed in Ponte Rodoni do Bondeno.<\/div>\n
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In Tecopress di Dosso, one worker died when the roof of foundry collapsed, Rai News24 reports.<\/div>\n
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Local media also say a woman died near Bologna, with reports suggesting that she may have had a heart attack. Another victim was an elderly woman in Sant-Agostino.<\/div>\n
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About 50 people were injured – but none seriously, reports say.<\/div>\n
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Aftershocks were reported soon after the quake.<\/div>\n
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“I was woken at around 4am by the quake, it was strong and lasted up to a minute, maybe more,” Frankie Thompson, a UK travel journalist in Bologna, told the BBC.<\/div>\n
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“Church bells were set off spontaneously… followed by an eerie silence. Small aftershocks kept coming and going until maybe 5:50am when a stronger tremor shook us again but not as long and dramatic as the first,” she added.<\/div>\n
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Britain’s David Trew, who is staying in a hotel in Ferrara, told the BBC: “I was sound asleep when the tremors started. I was having quite a vivid dream, and the first few seconds of the quake became part of the dream.<\/div>\n
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“As I began to wake up it took me a few seconds to realise that it was actually happening for real. I fumbled around in the darkness, now very scared. The room was shaking violently, plaster was dropping off the ceiling into my hair and all over the floor.”<\/div>\n
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One local resident told Ansa: “I heard a big bang and I ran on the terrace, I was afraid of falling.”<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
TV footage later showed people inspecting damaged houses, offices and historic buildings. Parts of a castle in Finale Emilia collapsed.<\/div>\n
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Emergency officials ordered the evacuation of patients from hospitals as a precautionary measure.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Northern Italy is frequently rocked by minor earthquake, but the country is well-prepared to deal with them, the BBC’s Alan Johnston in Rome reports.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In January, a 5.3-magnitude quake hit northern Italy but caused no injuries.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
–<\/div>\n
http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-europe-18135898<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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