10 most terrifying earthquakes in Italy in the past 100 years

(Baonghean.vn) - On October 30, Italy suffered a 6.6-magnitude earthquake, one of the largest earthquakes in decades in the country, turning many buildings in several towns in the central Apennines into rubble.

The aftermath of the earthquake that flattened the town of Amatrice, central Italy on September 1. Photo: Reuters.

Although dozens of people were injured, fortunately, more than 4 hours after the earthquake, no deaths have been recorded. Many people have been evacuated after a series of recent tremors in the area.

The earthquake on October 30 was recorded as the strongest since a 6.9-magnitude quake in 1980 that killed 2,735 people in the southern Campania region.

Here is a list of major earthquakes in Italy over the past century, as measured by the US Geological Survey (USGS):

1 - January 13, 1915:About 32,600 people died when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Avezzano, central Italy.

2 - July 27, 1930:A 6.5 magnitude earthquake in the Campania region of southern Italy killed about 1,400 people.

3 - May 6, 1976:A 6.5 magnitude earthquake shook Friuli in northeastern Italy, killing 976 people and leaving about 70,000 others homeless.

4 - November 23, 1980:Some 2,735 people were killed and more than 7,500 injured in the 6.9 magnitude earthquake. The epicenter was in Eboli but the impact was felt across a wide area as far as Naples.

5 - December 13, 1990:A 5.6 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sicily has killed 13 people and injured 200.

6 - September 26, 1997:Two consecutive earthquakes, both measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, killed 11 people and caused severe damage to the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, damaging priceless medieval frescoes.

7 - October 31, 2002:A 5.9-magnitude earthquake shook Campobasso, in the south-central region of Italy, killing 30 people, mostly children, in San Giuliano di Puglia.

8 - April 6, 2009:A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Abruzzo region east of Rome, killing more than 300 people and destroying the 13th-century city of Abruzzo.

9 - May 29, 2012:Seventeen people were killed and 350 injured in a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in the area around Modena in northern Italy, just 10 days after a quake in the same area killed 10 people.

10 - August 24, 2016:297 people died when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the town center of Amatrice and surrounding towns and villages.

Phu Binh

(According to Reuters)