EARTHQUAKE HITS ITALY

An earthquake has hit the Italian resort of Rimini. At 5.5-magnitude, it was felt across central Italy and other European countries.

Houses on the Adriatic coast shook for several seconds. Although minor damage was reported, luckily no casualties were reported as residents rushed to the streets in sheer panic.

At first, the strongest tremor hit at 07:07 local time. Seconds after a number of smaller shocks followed.

For safety reasons, schools were shut in parts of the central Marche region. Because damage to the train tracks was suspected, trains in the city of Ancona were halted. Trains between Ancona and the capital, Rome were also halted.

Vanguard reports that Italian officials said the quake was eight kilometres in depth. It was felt in Rome in the west and Bologna in the north-east as well as across the Adriatic in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzogovina.

According to the BBC, central Italy is one of Europe’s most active earthquake regions. A 6.2-magnitude earthquake in 2016 killed 299 people, most of them in the picturesque mountain village of Amatrice.

Image credit: Science