A 4.8-magnitude earthquake rattled parts of Tuscany early Monday. Mayors of the affected areas say there could be hundreds of displaced families as a result.
The earthquake’s epicentre was near Marradi, northeast of Florence. It struck at 5:10 a.m., after some smaller tremors, according to Italy’s Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV).
The agency noted the area is considered at high risk for quakes. It cited, in particular, one in 1919 that struck Mugello, which was one of the strongest to strike Italy in the 20th century.
Chain of minor quakes before the big one
Other seismic events were alreadylocated in the area affected by last night’s event. In the same area, at 4.38 am, approximately 30 minutes before the larger earthquake, the seismic network recorded an earthquake of magnitude Ml 3.3. Subsequently another 25 events were located (at 6.15 am) with magnitudes between 2.8 and 1.1.
The area affected by this seismic sequence is characterised by high seismic danger and by the strong earthquakes that have occurred in the past.
Hundreds of displaced families
Hundreds of families are feared to have been displaced in the Forlì area by the earthquake, local sources said. The number of potentially unsafe homes was totted up, with 140 buildings in one town alone, Tredozio, classified as unsafe.
Stability fitness checks are underway following the earthquake, said the provincial government of Forlì-Cesena. The fear is that “the number of displaced families could be several hundred,” said the president of the province and mayor of Cesena, Enzo Lattuca.
“My fellow mayors,” he said, “are now providing initial hospitality and suitable accommodation for the dozens of families left outside their homes.”
