At least two people have died after a 4.0 magnitude earthquake hit the island of Ischia off the coast of Naples. Firefighters have freed two trapped children and a 7-month-old baby in a "miracle" rescue.
Image: Reuters/C. De Luca
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Earthquake hits Italian resort island
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Firefighters on the island of Ischia managed to free three children on Tuesday who were trapped under rubble for hours after their house collapsed during last night's earthquake.
The earthquake struck the Italian resort island shortly before 9 p.m. local time (1900 UTC) on Monday. Casamicciola, on the northern part of the island, was the hardest-hit area, according to local reports.
By Tuesday afternoon, firefighters recovered an 11-year-old boy alive almost 16 hours after the quake struck. They saved his 7-year-old and 7-month-old brothers a few hours before in what the national fire department called it a "miracle" rescue.
Rescuers managed to free all three children after they'd been trapped for hours under rubbleImage: Reuters/C. De Luca
Residents and tourists were forced to run out on to the streets, as at least six buildings and a church collapsed around them during the quake. Two people were killed and at least 39 were reportedly injured.
"Italy is united in the grief for the victims and in solidarity. We are all standing next to those committed to rescue efforts," Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni wrote on Twitter.
According to Italian media, an elderly woman was killed after she was hit by a falling piece of masonry from the church. The injured were receiving treatment outside as most of the local hospital had to be evacuated due to an electrical blackout, Roberto Allocca, a doctor from a local hospital, told broadcaster Sky TG24.
Civil protection crews were already on the island to combat forest fires, which have ravaged large parts of southern Italy throughout the summer. Helicopters and ferries were bringing in more rescue workers from the mainland.
Ischia is the largest island in the bay of Naples and welcomes up to six million tourists each year - mainly from the Italian mainland and from Germany.Image: picture-alliance/chromorange/A. Gravante
Ischia, along with the nearby island of Capri, is a favorite vacation destination for Europe's jet set. The resort island is particularly famous for its thermal waters. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has often been seen spending her Easter holidays on the island.
The quake hit just days before the first anniversary of the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit central Italy, killing some 300 people. Just hours before Monday's quake, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni promised to boost funding efforts in the central region.
Magnitude disputed
While Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology put the magnitude at 4.0, both the US Geological Survey (USGS) and European quake agency EMSC estimated the magnitude to be around 4.3.
Earthquake in Italy: Before and after
Before Wednesday's earthquake, Amatrice was considered one of the loveliest villages in Italy. Now, it seems almost completely destroyed. Photos taken before and after the disaster show the extent of the devastation.
Once an idyllic village - now full of rubble
The peaceful village of Amatrice is one of the places worst-hit by the quake. Shortly after 3.30 am on August 24, the residents were jolted from their sleep. Before, it was an idyllic place to live in and visit; now, much of it is reduced to rubble. If one looks to the right from here...
Churches destroyed
... one can see the ruins of the Chiesa di Sant'Agostino. The intricate carving on the late Gothic portal from the 15th century has fallen prey to the quake and now no longer exists. The Basilica of San Francesco with murals from the 14th and 15th century was also heavily damaged.
A homeless population
The police station in Accumoli. The mayor, Stefano Petrucci, said that 2,500 people no longer had a roof over their heads. Not a single house was habitable, he said. "We have to organize a tent city for the whole population," he told the Italian news agency Ansa.
Many lives lost
More than 270 people have lost their lives in the earthquake, according to an official toll. Hundreds are injured. The director of the Civil Protection agency, Fabrizio Curcio, says the earthquake could take on "even worse dimensions than the one in L'Aquila" seven years ago, in which 309 people died.
Showing solidarity with a museum visit
The door of the historic museum in Arquata del Tronto lost its stucco decoration in the quake. The Culture Ministry in Rome announced that it would donate all admission money received on Sunday to those affected by the earthquake. Minister Dario Franceschini called on Italians to go to museums " as a sign of solidarity."
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Italy's national vulcanology department initially gave a preliminary magnitude of 3.6. While such variances are common, a handful of Italian agencies are reportedly claiming that the initial low rating underestimated the power of the tremor, leaving rescue services late in organizing their response in the aftermath of the quake.
Egidio Grasso, the head of a regional association of geologists, publicly questioned in a statement how a relatively minor seismic event could be so destructive. "It is not normal for it to cause building collapses and hospital evacuations," he said, adding that the level of destruction may have been all the more severe due to local geological factors or shoddy constructions "built without any earthquake proofing."
Earthquakes: The most endangered regions
After the devastating earthquake in Nepal, the death toll is still on the rise. What other regions in the world also face the threat of strong quakes, and what consequences could they have?
Image: Reuters/N. Chitrakar
Where the earth shakes
Seven tectonic plates make up our earth's surface. Where they meet, chances for an earthquake are the highest. In Nepal, the tectonic collision of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate caused a dramatic quake on April 25, 2015. It's one of the seven places on earth most prone to earthquakes.
Bhaktapur, Nepal (before)
In the valley of Kathmandu, seven cultural World Heritage sites draw Nepalese and international visitors alike. Here, people are celebrating the Gaijatra Festival at the historic square in Bhaktapur in August 2014.
Image: picture alliance/landov
Bhaktapur, Nepal (after)
Volunteer workers try to rescue people from beneath the ruins of collapsed temples - they have nothing but their bare hands to dig with. The 2015 Nepalese earthquake killed nearly 9,000 people.
Image: Reuters/D. Siddiqui
Japanese coast (now)
Japan is known as an earthquake specialist, building its skyscrapers on moving foundations that can absorb the earth's shocks during a quake. It's also known for its nuclear power plants. In 2010, the Takahama power plant (pictured above, on the other side of the island from Fukushima) was one of 55, producing a third of the country's energy needs.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/JIJI Press
Japanese coast (then)
Japan is more than 5,000 kilometers (3,107 miles) from Nepal. But in March 2011, it suffered a similarly disastrous earthquake, causing one of the worst tsunamis Japan has ever seen. More than 18,000 people were declared dead, and meltdowns of nuclear reactors in Fukushima leaked radioactive material into the surrounding area - more than was released in the Chernobyl catastrophe.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Andaman Sea, Indian Ocean (now)
The Andaman Islands, which are part of India, are close to the intersection of the Indian and Eurasian continental plates. Due to the high tectonic tensions, earthquakes are common here.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Andaman Sea, Indian Ocean (then)
The worst of these earthquakes in recent history hit on December 26, 2004. It was the third-strongest quake ever measured. Tsunamis following the quake killed 230,000 people along the coast.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/Choo Youn Kong
Yunnan, China (before)
The Chinese province of Yunnan is known for its breathtaking landscape, its rice terraces - and its earthquake risk. As Yunnan is located on the border between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, tectonic plate tensions can cause severe earthquakes.
Image: picture alliance/ZUMA Press
Yunnan, China (after)
In August 2014, more than 400 people were killed and about 100,000 left homeless by a 6.5-magnitude quake. Strong earthquakes are common in China. In 2008, 70,000 people died after a quake hit in the province of Sichuan.
Image: Reuters
L'Aquila, Italy (before)
Although Europe is not really known for earthquakes, they are more common than one might think. In Italy, the African plate comes up against the European continent, and the whole country is situated up against the plate boundary.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Barone
L'Aquila, Italy (after)
In 2009, a quake killed 300 people and left more than 10,000 homeless in the Italian town of L'Aquila. When seven scientists were convicted of manslaughter for failing to advise of earthquake threats, this raised international critique: Despite the most modern scientific methods, earthquakes cannot be predicted.
Image: picture alliance/INFOPHOTO
San Francisco, United States (now)
The Golden Gate Bridge is San Francisco's most prominent landmark. But it is under threat: Scientists say that soon, the worst earthquake in more than 100 years could hit the city, threatening its inhabitants. Culprit here is the San Andreas fault, where the North American plate meets the Pacific plate, just off the Californian coast.
Image: DW
San Francisco, United States (then)
In 1906, San Francisco was destroyed by an earthquake and resulting urban fires. To date, the San Francisco quake is said to be one of the deadliest natural disasters in US history - 3,000 to 6,000 people were killed.
Image: picture-alliance/akg-images
Valdivia, Chile (now)
Today, nothing in idyllic south-Chilean Valdivia reminds visitors of the earthquake danger. That doesn't make it less real: Just off the Chilean coast, the South American plate hits the Nazca plate. When tensions rise, the earth shakes. As a consequence, tsunamis form.
Image: Elio Caro/Virtual Publicidad
Valdivia, Chile (then)
At a magnitude of 9.5, it was the strongest earthquake ever measured: In 1960, the quake destroyed large parts of southern Chile's infrastructure. At least 1,700 people died, while millions were made homeless. The next "big bang" is likely to take place in Chile's northern region. The earth there, scientists say, has been suspiciously quiet for years.
