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Coordinates: 42°20′51″N 13°22′48″E / 42.3476°N 13.3800°E / 42.3476; 13.3800
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{{wikinews|Major magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes central Italy}}
{{wikinews|Major magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes central Italy}}


The '''2009 L'Aquila earthquake''' occurred in the region of [[Abruzzo]], in central Italy. The main shock occurred at 3:32 local time (1:32 UTC) on 6&nbsp;April 2009, and was rated 5.8 on the [[Richter scale]] and 6.3 on the [[moment magnitude scale]];<ref name="INGV_upd"/> its [[epicentre]] was near [[L'Aquila]], the capital of Abruzzo, which together witBC"/> after measuring increased levels of [[radon]] emitted from the ground. He was accused of being alarmist<ref name="BBC" /> by the Director of the Civil Defence, Guido Bertolaso, and forced to remove his findings from the Internet (old data and descriptions are still online).<ref name="Giampaolo Giuliani data and descriptions"/> He was also reported to police a week before the main quake for "causing fear" among the local population when he predicted an earthquake was imminent in [[Sulmona]],<ref name="Strong quake in Italy kills over 150, wounds 1,500"/> about {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on}} from L'Aquila, on 30&nbsp;March, after a 4° quake happened (Sulmona later only suffered minor damages from the 6 April earthquake).<ref name="Italy: State of emergency after deadly central quake"/> Enzo Boschi, the head of the [[National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology|Italian National Geophysics Institute]] declared:
The '''2009 L'Aquila earthquake''' occurred in the region of [[Abruzzo]], in central Italy. The main shock occurred at 3:32 local time (1:32 UTC) on 6&nbsp;April 2009, and was rated 5.8 on the [[Richter scale]] and 6.3 on the [[moment magnitude scale]];<ref name="INGV_upd"/> its [[epicentre]] was near [[L'Aquila]], the capital of Abruzzo, which together with surrounding villages suffered most damage. There have been several thousand [[foreshock]]s and [[aftershock]]s since December 2008, more than thirty of which had a Richter magnitude greater than 3.5.<ref name="INGV_upd" />

The earthquake was felt throughout central Italy; 297 people are known to have died,<ref name="Pope"/> making this the deadliest [[List of earthquakes in Italy|earthquake to hit Italy]] since the [[1980 Irpinia earthquake]]. In a subsequent inquiry of the handling of the disaster, seven members of the Italian National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks were accused of giving "inexact, incomplete and contradictory" information about the danger of the tremors prior to the main quake.<ref name="BBC News"/><ref name="LiveScience"/>
On 22 October 2012, six scientists and one ex-government official were convicted of multiple manslaughter for downplaying the likelihood of a major earthquake six days before it took place. They were each sentenced to six years' imprisonment.<ref name="BBC News"/><ref name="LiveScience"/><ref name="Italian scientists convicted over earthquake warning"/>

==Cause==
This earthquake was caused by movement on a NW-SE trending normal [[Dip-slip faults|fault]] according to [[Focal mechanism#Moment tensor solutions|moment tensor solutions]].<ref name="USGS"/> Although Italy lies in a [[Tectonics|tectonically]] complex region, the central part of the [[Apennines]] has been characterised by [[extensional tectonics]] since the [[Pliocene]] epoch (i.e. about the last 5&nbsp;million years), with most of the [[active fault]]s being normal in type and NW-SE trending.<ref name="BSSA"/> The extension is due to the [[back-arc basin]] in the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]] opening faster than the [[African Plate]] is [[Continental collision|colliding]] with the [[Eurasian Plate]].<ref name="USGS" />

The earthquake occurred at 1:32 [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]] (3:32 [[Central European Time|CEST]] local time) at the relatively shallow depth of {{convert|9.46|km|mi}} and with an [[epicentre]] at 42.3476°&nbsp;N, 13.3800&nbsp;°E<ref name="INGV_location"/> or approximately {{convert|90|km|mi|sigfig=1}} north-east of Rome, near to the city of [[L'Aquila]].<ref name="Background: Italy and earthquakes"/> The earthquake was reported to measure 6.3 on the [[moment magnitude scale]].<ref name="USGS" />

==Historical context==
Italy frequently experiences earthquakes, but it is uncommon for them to be very deadly. The last major earthquake was the 5.9-[[Richter magnitude scale|magnitude]] [[2002 Molise earthquake]] which killed 30 people, 26 of the victims children who perished in the collapse of an elementary school in [[San Giuliano di Puglia]], and was the deadliest quake in 20 years.<ref name="Background: Italy and earthquakes" /> Earthquakes mark the history of L'Aquila, a city built on the bed of an ancient lake, providing a [[soil structure]] that amplifies seismic waves. The city was struck by earthquakes in 1315, 1349, 1452, 1501, 1646, 1703, and 1706.<ref name="L'Aquila, prov. of L'Aquila, Abruzzo"/> The [[1703 Apennine earthquakes|earthquake of February 1703]], which caused devastation across much of central Italy, largely destroyed the city and killed around 5,000 people.<ref name="Buffon's Natural History"/>

==Effects==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:1em"
|-
! Nationality !! Deaths !! Injured
|-
|{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Italians|Italian]] || 286 || 1,173
|-
|{{flagicon|MKD}} [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonian]] || 6<ref name="mkd"/>||
|-
|{{flagicon|ROM}} [[Romanians|Romanian]] || 5<ref name="realitatea01"/> ||
|-
|{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Czechs|Czech]] || 2<ref name="ansa02"/> ||
|-
|{{flagicon|Palestine}} [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] || 2<ref name="palermo" />||
|-
|{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Ukrainian people|Ukrainian]] || 2<ref name="UNIAN"/>||
|-
|{{flagicon|GRE}} [[Greeks|Greek]] || 1<ref name="ape01"/>|| 5
|-
|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[French people|French]] || 1<ref name="lefigaro1"/>||
|-
|{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Israelis|Israeli]] || 1<ref name="ynet"/>||
|-
|{{flagicon|ARG}} [[Argentine people|Argentine]] || 1<ref name="Clarin"/>||
|-
|{{flagicon|Peru}} [[Peruvian people|Peruvian]] || 1<ref name="il Centro - Le vittime del terremoto Abruzzo"/> ||
|-
|3|'''Total''' ||308<ref name="Vittime_ilCentro"/>||1.500 ca.
|}

The earthquake caused damage to between 3,000 and 11,000 buildings in the [[Middle Ages|medieval]] city of [[L'Aquila]].<ref name="Powerful Italian quake kills many" /> Several buildings also collapsed. 297 people were killed by the earthquake,<ref name="Pope"/> including six Macedonians, two Czechs,<ref name="ansa02"/> five Romanian citizens,<ref name="realitatea01" /> two Palestinians,<ref name="palermo"/> one Greek citizen,<ref name="ape01" /> one French citizen,<ref name="lefigaro1" /> one Ukrainian citizen<ref name="UNIAN" /> and one Israeli citizen, and approximately 1,500 people were injured. Twenty of the victims were children.<ref name="tg18apr0800"/> Around 65,000 people were made homeless.<ref name="Pope"/>

The main earthquake was preceded by two smaller earthquakes the previous day.<ref name="Powerful Italian quake kills many"/> The earthquake was felt as far away as Rome ({{convert|92|km}} away), in other parts of [[Lazio]], as well as [[Marche]], [[Molise]], [[Umbria]] and [[Campania]]. Schools remained closed in the Abruzzo region. Most of the inhabitants of L'Aquila abandoned their homes and the city itself; in the city centre of L'Aquila, and the nearby village of [[Paganica]] which was also badly damaged, many streets were impassable due to fallen masonry. The hospital at L'Aquila, where many of the victims were brought, suffered damage in the 4.8 [[aftershock]] which followed the main earthquake an hour later. Powerful aftershocks, some only slightly weaker than the main shock, were felt throughout the following 2 days.

Villages in the valley along Strada Statale 17 just outside l'Aquila suffered the greatest damage while medieval mountain hill towns lying high above the valley suffered little damage. [[Onna, L'Aquila|Onna]] was reported to be mostly leveled with 38 deaths among the 350 residents.<ref name="Death toll rises in Italy quake"/> The villages of [[Villa Sant'Angelo]] and [[San Pio delle Camere]] were badly damaged.<ref name="Italy quake kills at least 150, scores saved"/> Fatalities were reported in [[Poggio Picenze]], [[Tornimparte]], [[Fossa (Italy)|Fossa]], [[Totani]], [[San Gregorio (L'Aquila)|San Gregorio]] and [[San Pio delle Camere]].<ref name="Italy in desperate race to save the buried after the earthquake"/>

Many of L'Aquila's medieval buildings were damaged. The [[apse]] of the [[Basilica]] of Saint [[Bernardino of Siena]], L'Aquila's largest Renaissance church, was seriously damaged, and its [[campanile]] collapsed. Almost the whole dome of the 18th-century [[Santa Maria del Suffragio (L'Aquila)|church of Anime Sante]] in Piazza Duomo fell down. The 13th-century Basilica di [[Santa Maria di Collemaggio]] collapsed from the transept to the back of the church, and Porta Napoli, the oldest gate to the city, was destroyed. The third floor of [[Forte Spagnolo]], the 16th-century castle housing the [[Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo|National Museum of Abruzzo]], collapsed, as did the cupola of the 18th-century Baroque church of St Augustine, damaging L'Aquila's state archives. This church had been rebuilt after it was destroyed in the 1703 earthquake.<ref name="ansa01"/> The Cathedral of L'Aquila has lost part of its transept and maybe more with the effects of the aftershocks. Slight damage was also reported to the [[Baths of Caracalla]] in Rome, but other Roman monuments such as the [[Colosseum]] and [[Roman Forum]] were unharmed.<ref name="presse"/>

[[File:Chiesa di Santa Maria a Paganica.jpg|thumb|175px|right|The damaged Santa Maria Church in the town of [[Paganica]]]]

While most of l'Aquila's medieval structures suffered damage, many of its modern buildings suffered the greatest damage, for instance, a dormitory at the university of l'Aquila collapsed. Even some buildings that were believed to be "earthquake-proof" were damaged. L'Aquila Hospital's new wing, which opened in 2000 and was thought capable of resisting almost any earthquake, suffered extensive damage and had to be closed.

===Homeless camps===
Around 40,000 people who were made homeless by the earthquake found accommodation in tented camps<ref name="Pope"/> and a further 10,000 were housed in hotels on the coast.<ref name="AP-8 April 2009"/> Others sought shelter with friends and relatives throughout Italy. Prime Minister [[Silvio Berlusconi]] caused a controversy when he said, in an interview to the German station [[n-tv]], that the homeless victims should consider themselves to be on a "camping weekend" - "They have everything they need, they have medical care, hot food... Of course, their current lodgings are a bit temporary. But they should see it like a weekend of camping."<ref name="thetimes8apr"/> To clarify his thought, he also told the people in a homeless camp: "Head to the beach. It's Easter. Take a break. We're paying for it, you'll be well looked after."<ref name="NYT8Apr"/> The billionaire prime minister offered his own houses to some of the survivors.<ref name="Berlusconi offers own homes to quake survivors"/>

===Building standards===
Poor [[Building code|building standards]] or construction materials seem to have further contributed to the large number of victims. According to firefighters and other rescuers, some concrete elements of the fallen buildings "seemed to have been made poorly, possibly with sand".<ref name="Investigation of building standards in quake zone"/> An official at Italy's [[Protezione Civile|Civil Protection Agency]], Franco Barberi, said that "in California, an earthquake like this one would not have killed a single person".<ref name="Italy quake exposes poor building standards"/> According to Italian media, L'Aquila's chief prosecutor has opened a probe into possible criminal blame for the collapses.<ref name="Officials to probe building standards in quake zone"/>

===Luminous phenomena===
Many people reported seeing peculiar sightings of light glows, flashes, lightning, flames and fireballs, all of which were considered candidates for [[earthquake light]].<ref name="The earthquake lights (EQL) of the 6 April 2009 Aquila earthquake, in Central Italy, NHESS, V.10, p.967, 2010."/><ref name="trieste"/> 241 luminous phenomena were collected including photos and videos. At least 99 of such phenomena occurred before the main shock and other strong events of the seismic sequence, whereas globular lights, luminous clouds and diffused light were more frequent before the quakes. Flashes were mostly observed during the main shock. Electrical discharges and flames were observed principally after the main shock. Many luminous events were observed before and after the main shock without the ground shaking and were very similar to those reported about two centuries ago. An earthquake alarm system has been proposed, based on a video sensing network to capture [[earthquake light|EQL]] and provide a warning if observations match threshold characteristics for EQL preceding a main shock.<ref name="NHESS - Abstract - The earthquake lights (EQL) of the 6 April 2009 Aquila earthquake, in Central Italy"/>

==Aftershocks==
{{wikinews|5.6-magnitude aftershock earthquake strikes Italy}}
The epicentral region saw dozens of significant aftershocks following the main earthquake. The strongest, which hit on 7 April at 19:47 [[CEST]] local time, measured magnitude 5.3 M<sub>L</sub> and caused further damage.<ref name="bbcnews8apr09"/> According to the Italian National Geophysics Institute director Boschi, the aftershock epicentres have migrated south-east, thus lessening the risk of further major shocks near populated areas.

Aftershocks cause safety problems for rescue crews with cranes and backhoes who are searching for injured people among precarious loose bricks and broken timbers of structures in the historic center of L'Aquila, a medieval city. Even a small aftershock can trigger the collapse of seriously damaged walls or parapets.

Aftershocks also cause sustained psychological trauma to small children and elderly who have already been traumatized by the main earthquake of 6 April 2009. The Italian government is aware of this psychological trauma situation, and therefore has temporarily relocated thousands of citizens away from the epicentral area.

As a result of aftershocks, the dome of the Anime Sante Basilica in L'Aquila, already heavily damaged by the main shock, almost entirely collapsed. Further buildings collapsed in L'Aquila and in neighbouring municipalities. The aftershock was so strong as to be felt in [[Rome]], where it caused an elderly man to die of [[cardiac arrest]].<ref name="Terremoto: morto per infarto a Roma"/>

===List of foreshocks and aftershocks===
Only shocks with local magnitude 4.0 or higher are listed. There have been dozens of small magnitude aftershocks, M<sub>L</sub> 1–3, but these generally do not cause further structural damage. Shocks with local magnitude 5.0 or higher are highlighted in blue, and the main shock is highlighted in darker blue.<ref name="European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Date (YYYY-MM-DD) <br />and time (UTC) !! Time <br />(local) !! Lat. !! Long. !! Depth !! M<sub>L</sub>
|-
| 2009-03-30 13:38:39 || 15:38:39 || 42.321°&nbsp;N || 13.376°&nbsp;E || {{hs|0}}{{convert|9.8|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.1
|- style="background: #9999ff"
| 2009-04-06 01:32:39 || 03:32:39 || 42.334°&nbsp;N || 13.334°&nbsp;E || {{hs|0}}{{convert|8.8|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 6.3
|-
| 2009-04-06 01:36:29 || 03:36:29 || 42.355°&nbsp;N || 13.342°&nbsp;E || {{hs|0}}{{convert|9.7|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.7
|-
| 2009-04-06 01:40:51 || 03:40:51 || 42.418°&nbsp;N || 13.408°&nbsp;E || {{convert|11.0|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.1
|-
| 2009-04-06 01:41:33 || 03:41:33 || 42.387°&nbsp;N || 13.316°&nbsp;E || {{hs|0}}{{convert|9.1|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.3
|-
| 2009-04-06 01:42:50 || 03:42:50 || 42.300°&nbsp;N || 13.429°&nbsp;E || {{convert|10.5|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.2
|-
| 2009-04-06 02:37:04 || 04:37:04 || 42.366°&nbsp;N || 13.340°&nbsp;E || {{convert|10.1|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.6
|-
| 2009-04-06 16:38:09 || 18:38:09 || 42.362°&nbsp;N || 13.333°&nbsp;E || {{convert|10.2|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.0
|-
| 2009-04-06 23:15:37 || 01:15:37 || 42.451°&nbsp;N || 13.364°&nbsp;E || {{hs|0}}{{convert|8.6|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.8
|-
| 2009-04-07 09:26:28 || 11:26:28 || 42.342°&nbsp;N || 13.388°&nbsp;E || {{convert|10.2|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.7
|- style="background: #ccccff"
| 2009-04-07 17:47:37 || 19:47:37 || 42.275°&nbsp;N || 13.464°&nbsp;E || {{convert|15.1|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 5.3
|-
| 2009-04-07 21:34:29 || 23:34:29 || 42.380°&nbsp;N || 13.376°&nbsp;E || {{hs|0}}{{convert|7.4|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.2
|-
| 2009-04-08 22:56:50 || 00:56:50 || 42.507°&nbsp;N || 13.364°&nbsp;E || {{convert|10.2|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.3
|- style="background: #ccccff"
| 2009-04-09 00:52:59 || 02:52:59 || 42.484°&nbsp;N || 13.343°&nbsp;E || {{convert|15.4|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 5.1
|-
| 2009-04-09 03:14:52 || 05:14:52 || 42.338°&nbsp;N || 13.437°&nbsp;E || {{convert|18.0|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.2
|-
| 2009-04-09 04:32:44 || 06:32:44 || 42.445°&nbsp;N || 13.420°&nbsp;E || {{hs|0}}{{convert|8.1|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.0
|-
| 2009-04-09 19:38:16 || 21:38:16 || 42.501°&nbsp;N || 13.356°&nbsp;E || {{convert|17.2|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.9
|-
| 2009-04-13 21:14:24 || 23:14:24 || 42.504°&nbsp;N || 13.363°&nbsp;E || {{hs|0}}{{convert|7.5|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.9
|-
| 2009-04-14 20:17:27 || 22:17:27 || 42.530°&nbsp;N || 13.288°&nbsp;E || {{convert|10.4|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.1
|-
| 2009-04-23 15:14:08 || 17:14:08 || 42.247°&nbsp;N || 13.492°&nbsp;E || {{hs|0}}{{convert|9.9|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.0
|-
| 2009-04-23 21:49:00 || 23:49:00 || 42.233°&nbsp;N || 13.479°&nbsp;E || {{hs|0}}{{convert|9.3|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.0
|-
| 2009-06-22 20:58:40 || 22:58:40 || 42.446°&nbsp;N || 13.356°&nbsp;E || {{convert|14.2|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.5
|-
| 2009-07-03 11:03:07 || 13:03:07 || 42.409°&nbsp;N || 13.387°&nbsp;E || {{hs|0}}{{convert|8.8|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.1
|-
| 2009-07-12 08:38:51 || 10:38:51 || 42.338°&nbsp;N || 13.378°&nbsp;E || {{convert|10.8|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.0
|-
| 2009-09-24 16:14:57 || 18:14:57 || 42.453°&nbsp;N || 13.330°&nbsp;E || {{hs|0}}{{convert|9.7|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} || 4.1
|}

== Emergency and reconstruction aid ==

===National aid===
[[File:Emergenza Terremoto Abruzzo 2009 - 12.jpg|thumb|210px|right|Emergency personnel review damaged buildings]]
Many Italian companies have offered some sort of help. All Italian mobile companies ([[Telecom Italia Mobile]],<ref name="tecnozoom"/> [[Vodafone Italy]],<ref name="ilsole24ore"/>
[[WIND (Italy)]],{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} [[3 Italy|H3G]]{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}), and some [[Mobile virtual network operator]]s,<ref name="TERREMOTO POSTEMOBILE 10 EURO RICARICA A CLIENTI PROVINCIA L AQUILA - Agenzia di stampa Asca"/>
sent free minutes and credit to all their pre-paid customers in Abruzzo, suspended billing to all post-paid customers and extended their coverage with additional mobile base stations to cover homeless camps. In addition, some companies sent free mobile phones, [[Subscriber Identity Module|SIM Cards]] and chargers for those who lost their mobiles, and set up a national unique number to send donations to, by placing a call or sending an SMS. [[Poste Italiane]] sent to homeless camps some mobile units acting as Postal Office, to allow people to withdraw money from their accounts as well as their retirement.<ref name="Terremoto: Ufficio mobile poste di paganica paga prime 3 pensioni"/>
Many companies, such as pay-tv [[SKY Italia]], suspended billing to all customers in Abruzzo, and offered some decoders to homeless camps to allow them to follow the funerals and the news.<ref name="ilsalvagente"/> [[Ferrovie dello Stato]] offered railway sleeping carriages to host some homeless people, and offered free tickets to all people and students living in Abruzzo. AISCAT ([[Associazione Italiana Società Concessionarie Autostrade e Trafori]]) declared that all toll-roads in Abruzzo would be free of charge.<ref name="ilmessaggero"/> All tax billing for all Abruzzo residents has been suspended by the government, as well as mortgage payments.

===International aid===
Prime Minister of Italy [[Silvio Berlusconi]] refused foreign aid for the emergency, saying that Italians were "proud people" and had sufficient resources to deal with the crisis.<ref name="Death toll rises in Italy quake"/> However he singled out the United States, announcing that he would accept aid for reconstruction: "If the United States wants to give a tangible sign of its solidarity with Italy, it could take on the responsibility of rebuilding heritage sites and churches. We would be very happy to have this support." and suggested the USA help rebuild "a small district of a town or a suburb".<ref name="Berlusconi may accept U.S. aid"/> Aid was offered by<ref name="World sends sympathy, offers aid to quake-hit Italy"/> Austria, [[Brazil]], [[Croatia]], the [[European Union]], France, Germany, Spain, Greece, [[Slovakia]], [[Israel]], Portugal,<ref name="clix"/> [[Iran]],<ref name="Iran expresses sympathy over Italy quake"/> [[Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]],<ref name="Macedonia offers aid to Italy after earthquake"/> [[Topos de Tlatelolco|Mexico]],<ref name="Viajan Topos Mexicanos a Italia"/>
Russia, [[Serbia]],<ref name="Serbian leaders offer condolences to Italian earthquake victims"/> [[Slovenia]],<ref name="Slovenia Offers Help to Italy After Quake"/> Switzerland,<ref name="Switzerland offers help after quake in Italy"/> [[Tunisia]], the
[[Turkish Red Crescent]],<ref name="Turkey Red Crescent offers help to quake hit-Italy"/> [[Ukraine]],<ref name="www"/> and the United States.<ref name="Earthquake: Obama to Berlusconi, US ready to help"/>
Aid was also offered by various organisations, companies, sport clubs and celebrities including [[ACF Fiorentina]],<ref name="Fiorentina latest club to donate funds to quake victims"/> [[Carla Bruni]],<ref name="French first lady offers to help quake hospital"/> [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]],<ref name="Sisma, Madonna dona soldi alle vittime in Abruzzo"/> [[S.S.C. Napoli]],<ref name="Napoli to donate match funds to quake victims"/> [[Zastava Automobiles|Zastava]]<ref name="Operai Fiat Zastava in Serbia offrono sangue per i terremotati"/> and [[Fiat]].<ref name="fiat"/>

==Prior warning==
{{wikinews|Scientist says he predicted Italy earthquake, was ignored}}
Italian laboratory technician Giampaolo Giuliani<ref name="Giampaolo Giuliani cronicle on researching quakes via radon precursor - Sismic tests - Network of radon concentration cells in Italy - Giuliani's letter to Italian Civil Defence"/> [[Earthquake prediction|predicted a major earthquake]] on Italian television a month before,<ref name="italyearthquakrow-BBC NEWS"/><ref name="earthquakewarn-Nytimesblog"/><ref name="BBC"/> after measuring increased levels of [[radon]] emitted from the ground. He was accused of being alarmist<ref name="BBC" /> by the Director of the Civil Defence, Guido Bertolaso, and forced to remove his findings from the Internet (old data and descriptions are still online).<ref name="Giampaolo Giuliani data and descriptions"/> He was also reported to police a week before the main quake for "causing fear" among the local population when he predicted an earthquake was imminent in [[Sulmona]],<ref name="Strong quake in Italy kills over 150, wounds 1,500"/> about {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on}} from L'Aquila, on 30&nbsp;March, after a 4° quake happened (Sulmona later only suffered minor damages from the 6 April earthquake).<ref name="Italy: State of emergency after deadly central quake"/> Enzo Boschi, the head of the [[National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology|Italian National Geophysics Institute]] declared:


<blockquote>"Every time there is an earthquake there are people who claim to have predicted it. As far as I know nobody predicted this earthquake with precision. It is not possible to predict earthquakes."<ref name="Italian earthquake: expert's warnings were dismissed as scaremongering"/></blockquote>
<blockquote>"Every time there is an earthquake there are people who claim to have predicted it. As far as I know nobody predicted this earthquake with precision. It is not possible to predict earthquakes."<ref name="Italian earthquake: expert's warnings were dismissed as scaremongering"/></blockquote>

Revision as of 17:58, 26 October 2012

2009 L'Aquila earthquake
Map of the earthquake's intensity
UTC time??
Magnitude6.3 Mw[1]
Depth9.46 km (5.88 mi)[2]
Epicenter42°20′51″N 13°22′48″E / 42.3476°N 13.3800°E / 42.3476; 13.3800[2]
Areas affectedAbruzzo, Italy
Total damage$16 billion[3]
Casualties297 dead[4]
1,500+ injured[5]
65,000+ homeless[4]
Wikinews has related news:

The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake occurred in the region of Abruzzo, in central Italy. The main shock occurred at 3:32 local time (1:32 UTC) on 6 April 2009, and was rated 5.8 on the Richter scale and 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale;[6] its epicentre was near L'Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, which together with surrounding villages suffered most damage. There have been several thousand foreshocks and aftershocks since December 2008, more than thirty of which had a Richter magnitude greater than 3.5.[6]

The earthquake was felt throughout central Italy; 297 people are known to have died,[4] making this the deadliest earthquake to hit Italy since the 1980 Irpinia earthquake. In a subsequent inquiry of the handling of the disaster, seven members of the Italian National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks were accused of giving "inexact, incomplete and contradictory" information about the danger of the tremors prior to the main quake.[7][8] On 22 October 2012, six scientists and one ex-government official were convicted of multiple manslaughter for downplaying the likelihood of a major earthquake six days before it took place. They were each sentenced to six years' imprisonment.[7][8][9]

Cause

This earthquake was caused by movement on a NW-SE trending normal fault according to moment tensor solutions.[10] Although Italy lies in a tectonically complex region, the central part of the Apennines has been characterised by extensional tectonics since the Pliocene epoch (i.e. about the last 5 million years), with most of the active faults being normal in type and NW-SE trending.[11] The extension is due to the back-arc basin in the Tyrrhenian Sea opening faster than the African Plate is colliding with the Eurasian Plate.[10]

The earthquake occurred at 1:32 GMT (3:32 CEST local time) at the relatively shallow depth of 9.46 kilometres (5.88 mi) and with an epicentre at 42.3476° N, 13.3800 °E[2] or approximately 90 kilometres (60 mi) north-east of Rome, near to the city of L'Aquila.[12] The earthquake was reported to measure 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale.[10]

Historical context

Italy frequently experiences earthquakes, but it is uncommon for them to be very deadly. The last major earthquake was the 5.9-magnitude 2002 Molise earthquake which killed 30 people, 26 of the victims children who perished in the collapse of an elementary school in San Giuliano di Puglia, and was the deadliest quake in 20 years.[12] Earthquakes mark the history of L'Aquila, a city built on the bed of an ancient lake, providing a soil structure that amplifies seismic waves. The city was struck by earthquakes in 1315, 1349, 1452, 1501, 1646, 1703, and 1706.[13] The earthquake of February 1703, which caused devastation across much of central Italy, largely destroyed the city and killed around 5,000 people.[14]

Effects

Nationality Deaths Injured
Italy Italian 286 1,173
North Macedonia Macedonian 6[15]
Romania Romanian 5[16]
Czech Republic Czech 2[17]
State of Palestine Palestinian 2[18]
Ukraine Ukrainian 2[19]
Greece Greek 1[20] 5
France French 1[21]
Israel Israeli 1[22]
Argentina Argentine 1[23]
Peru Peruvian 1[24]
Total 308[25] 1.500 ca.

The earthquake caused damage to between 3,000 and 11,000 buildings in the medieval city of L'Aquila.[26] Several buildings also collapsed. 297 people were killed by the earthquake,[4] including six Macedonians, two Czechs,[17] five Romanian citizens,[16] two Palestinians,[18] one Greek citizen,[20] one French citizen,[21] one Ukrainian citizen[19] and one Israeli citizen, and approximately 1,500 people were injured. Twenty of the victims were children.[27] Around 65,000 people were made homeless.[4]

The main earthquake was preceded by two smaller earthquakes the previous day.[26] The earthquake was felt as far away as Rome (92 kilometres (57 mi) away), in other parts of Lazio, as well as Marche, Molise, Umbria and Campania. Schools remained closed in the Abruzzo region. Most of the inhabitants of L'Aquila abandoned their homes and the city itself; in the city centre of L'Aquila, and the nearby village of Paganica which was also badly damaged, many streets were impassable due to fallen masonry. The hospital at L'Aquila, where many of the victims were brought, suffered damage in the 4.8 aftershock which followed the main earthquake an hour later. Powerful aftershocks, some only slightly weaker than the main shock, were felt throughout the following 2 days.

Villages in the valley along Strada Statale 17 just outside l'Aquila suffered the greatest damage while medieval mountain hill towns lying high above the valley suffered little damage. Onna was reported to be mostly leveled with 38 deaths among the 350 residents.[28] The villages of Villa Sant'Angelo and San Pio delle Camere were badly damaged.[29] Fatalities were reported in Poggio Picenze, Tornimparte, Fossa, Totani, San Gregorio and San Pio delle Camere.[30]

Many of L'Aquila's medieval buildings were damaged. The apse of the Basilica of Saint Bernardino of Siena, L'Aquila's largest Renaissance church, was seriously damaged, and its campanile collapsed. Almost the whole dome of the 18th-century church of Anime Sante in Piazza Duomo fell down. The 13th-century Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio collapsed from the transept to the back of the church, and Porta Napoli, the oldest gate to the city, was destroyed. The third floor of Forte Spagnolo, the 16th-century castle housing the National Museum of Abruzzo, collapsed, as did the cupola of the 18th-century Baroque church of St Augustine, damaging L'Aquila's state archives. This church had been rebuilt after it was destroyed in the 1703 earthquake.[31] The Cathedral of L'Aquila has lost part of its transept and maybe more with the effects of the aftershocks. Slight damage was also reported to the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, but other Roman monuments such as the Colosseum and Roman Forum were unharmed.[32]

The damaged Santa Maria Church in the town of Paganica

While most of l'Aquila's medieval structures suffered damage, many of its modern buildings suffered the greatest damage, for instance, a dormitory at the university of l'Aquila collapsed. Even some buildings that were believed to be "earthquake-proof" were damaged. L'Aquila Hospital's new wing, which opened in 2000 and was thought capable of resisting almost any earthquake, suffered extensive damage and had to be closed.

Homeless camps

Around 40,000 people who were made homeless by the earthquake found accommodation in tented camps[4] and a further 10,000 were housed in hotels on the coast.[33] Others sought shelter with friends and relatives throughout Italy. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi caused a controversy when he said, in an interview to the German station n-tv, that the homeless victims should consider themselves to be on a "camping weekend" - "They have everything they need, they have medical care, hot food... Of course, their current lodgings are a bit temporary. But they should see it like a weekend of camping."[34] To clarify his thought, he also told the people in a homeless camp: "Head to the beach. It's Easter. Take a break. We're paying for it, you'll be well looked after."[35] The billionaire prime minister offered his own houses to some of the survivors.[36]

Building standards

Poor building standards or construction materials seem to have further contributed to the large number of victims. According to firefighters and other rescuers, some concrete elements of the fallen buildings "seemed to have been made poorly, possibly with sand".[37] An official at Italy's Civil Protection Agency, Franco Barberi, said that "in California, an earthquake like this one would not have killed a single person".[38] According to Italian media, L'Aquila's chief prosecutor has opened a probe into possible criminal blame for the collapses.[39]

Luminous phenomena

Many people reported seeing peculiar sightings of light glows, flashes, lightning, flames and fireballs, all of which were considered candidates for earthquake light.[40][41] 241 luminous phenomena were collected including photos and videos. At least 99 of such phenomena occurred before the main shock and other strong events of the seismic sequence, whereas globular lights, luminous clouds and diffused light were more frequent before the quakes. Flashes were mostly observed during the main shock. Electrical discharges and flames were observed principally after the main shock. Many luminous events were observed before and after the main shock without the ground shaking and were very similar to those reported about two centuries ago. An earthquake alarm system has been proposed, based on a video sensing network to capture EQL and provide a warning if observations match threshold characteristics for EQL preceding a main shock.[42]

Aftershocks

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The epicentral region saw dozens of significant aftershocks following the main earthquake. The strongest, which hit on 7 April at 19:47 CEST local time, measured magnitude 5.3 ML and caused further damage.[43] According to the Italian National Geophysics Institute director Boschi, the aftershock epicentres have migrated south-east, thus lessening the risk of further major shocks near populated areas.

Aftershocks cause safety problems for rescue crews with cranes and backhoes who are searching for injured people among precarious loose bricks and broken timbers of structures in the historic center of L'Aquila, a medieval city. Even a small aftershock can trigger the collapse of seriously damaged walls or parapets.

Aftershocks also cause sustained psychological trauma to small children and elderly who have already been traumatized by the main earthquake of 6 April 2009. The Italian government is aware of this psychological trauma situation, and therefore has temporarily relocated thousands of citizens away from the epicentral area.

As a result of aftershocks, the dome of the Anime Sante Basilica in L'Aquila, already heavily damaged by the main shock, almost entirely collapsed. Further buildings collapsed in L'Aquila and in neighbouring municipalities. The aftershock was so strong as to be felt in Rome, where it caused an elderly man to die of cardiac arrest.[44]

List of foreshocks and aftershocks

Only shocks with local magnitude 4.0 or higher are listed. There have been dozens of small magnitude aftershocks, ML 1–3, but these generally do not cause further structural damage. Shocks with local magnitude 5.0 or higher are highlighted in blue, and the main shock is highlighted in darker blue.[45]

Date (YYYY-MM-DD)
and time (UTC)		 Time
(local)		 Lat. Long. Depth ML
2009-03-30 13:38:39 15:38:39 42.321° N 13.376° E 9.8 km (6.1 mi) 4.1
2009-04-06 01:32:39 03:32:39 42.334° N 13.334° E 8.8 km (5.5 mi) 6.3
2009-04-06 01:36:29 03:36:29 42.355° N 13.342° E 9.7 km (6.0 mi) 4.7
2009-04-06 01:40:51 03:40:51 42.418° N 13.408° E 11.0 km (6.8 mi) 4.1
2009-04-06 01:41:33 03:41:33 42.387° N 13.316° E 9.1 km (5.7 mi) 4.3
2009-04-06 01:42:50 03:42:50 42.300° N 13.429° E 10.5 km (6.5 mi) 4.2
2009-04-06 02:37:04 04:37:04 42.366° N 13.340° E 10.1 km (6.3 mi) 4.6
2009-04-06 16:38:09 18:38:09 42.362° N 13.333° E 10.2 km (6.3 mi) 4.0
2009-04-06 23:15:37 01:15:37 42.451° N 13.364° E 8.6 km (5.3 mi) 4.8
2009-04-07 09:26:28 11:26:28 42.342° N 13.388° E 10.2 km (6.3 mi) 4.7
2009-04-07 17:47:37 19:47:37 42.275° N 13.464° E 15.1 km (9.4 mi) 5.3
2009-04-07 21:34:29 23:34:29 42.380° N 13.376° E 7.4 km (4.6 mi) 4.2
2009-04-08 22:56:50 00:56:50 42.507° N 13.364° E 10.2 km (6.3 mi) 4.3
2009-04-09 00:52:59 02:52:59 42.484° N 13.343° E 15.4 km (9.6 mi) 5.1
2009-04-09 03:14:52 05:14:52 42.338° N 13.437° E 18.0 km (11.2 mi) 4.2
2009-04-09 04:32:44 06:32:44 42.445° N 13.420° E 8.1 km (5.0 mi) 4.0
2009-04-09 19:38:16 21:38:16 42.501° N 13.356° E 17.2 km (10.7 mi) 4.9
2009-04-13 21:14:24 23:14:24 42.504° N 13.363° E 7.5 km (4.7 mi) 4.9
2009-04-14 20:17:27 22:17:27 42.530° N 13.288° E 10.4 km (6.5 mi) 4.1
2009-04-23 15:14:08 17:14:08 42.247° N 13.492° E 9.9 km (6.2 mi) 4.0
2009-04-23 21:49:00 23:49:00 42.233° N 13.479° E 9.3 km (5.8 mi) 4.0
2009-06-22 20:58:40 22:58:40 42.446° N 13.356° E 14.2 km (8.8 mi) 4.5
2009-07-03 11:03:07 13:03:07 42.409° N 13.387° E 8.8 km (5.5 mi) 4.1
2009-07-12 08:38:51 10:38:51 42.338° N 13.378° E 10.8 km (6.7 mi) 4.0
2009-09-24 16:14:57 18:14:57 42.453° N 13.330° E 9.7 km (6.0 mi) 4.1

Emergency and reconstruction aid

National aid

Emergency personnel review damaged buildings

Many Italian companies have offered some sort of help. All Italian mobile companies (Telecom Italia Mobile,[46] Vodafone Italy,[47] WIND (Italy),[citation needed] H3G[citation needed]), and some Mobile virtual network operators,[48] sent free minutes and credit to all their pre-paid customers in Abruzzo, suspended billing to all post-paid customers and extended their coverage with additional mobile base stations to cover homeless camps. In addition, some companies sent free mobile phones, SIM Cards and chargers for those who lost their mobiles, and set up a national unique number to send donations to, by placing a call or sending an SMS. Poste Italiane sent to homeless camps some mobile units acting as Postal Office, to allow people to withdraw money from their accounts as well as their retirement.[49] Many companies, such as pay-tv SKY Italia, suspended billing to all customers in Abruzzo, and offered some decoders to homeless camps to allow them to follow the funerals and the news.[50] Ferrovie dello Stato offered railway sleeping carriages to host some homeless people, and offered free tickets to all people and students living in Abruzzo. AISCAT (Associazione Italiana Società Concessionarie Autostrade e Trafori) declared that all toll-roads in Abruzzo would be free of charge.[51] All tax billing for all Abruzzo residents has been suspended by the government, as well as mortgage payments.

International aid

Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi refused foreign aid for the emergency, saying that Italians were "proud people" and had sufficient resources to deal with the crisis.[28] However he singled out the United States, announcing that he would accept aid for reconstruction: "If the United States wants to give a tangible sign of its solidarity with Italy, it could take on the responsibility of rebuilding heritage sites and churches. We would be very happy to have this support." and suggested the USA help rebuild "a small district of a town or a suburb".[52] Aid was offered by[53] Austria, Brazil, Croatia, the European Union, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Slovakia, Israel, Portugal,[54] Iran,[55] Macedonia,[56] Mexico,[57] Russia, Serbia,[58] Slovenia,[59] Switzerland,[60] Tunisia, the Turkish Red Crescent,[61] Ukraine,[62] and the United States.[63] Aid was also offered by various organisations, companies, sport clubs and celebrities including ACF Fiorentina,[64] Carla Bruni,[65] Madonna,[66] S.S.C. Napoli,[67] Zastava[68] and Fiat.[69]

Prior warning

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Italian laboratory technician Giampaolo Giuliani[70] predicted a major earthquake on Italian television a month before,[71][72][73] after measuring increased levels of radon emitted from the ground. He was accused of being alarmist[73] by the Director of the Civil Defence, Guido Bertolaso, and forced to remove his findings from the Internet (old data and descriptions are still online).[74] He was also reported to police a week before the main quake for "causing fear" among the local population when he predicted an earthquake was imminent in Sulmona,[75] about 50 km (31 mi) from L'Aquila, on 30 March, after a 4° quake happened (Sulmona later only suffered minor damages from the 6 April earthquake).[76] Enzo Boschi, the head of the Italian National Geophysics Institute declared:

"Every time there is an earthquake there are people who claim to have predicted it. As far as I know nobody predicted this earthquake with precision. It is not possible to predict earthquakes."[77]

Predicting earthquakes based on radon emissions has been studied by scientists since the 1970s, but enthusiasm for it had faded due to inconsistent results.[78] In December 2009, Giuliani presented his research to the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco; the union subsequently invited him to take part in developing a worldwide seismic early warning system. On his return home, the Italian authorities lifted the gagging injunctions against his predictions.[79]

Controversy on reconstruction and criminality

In the days following the tragedy, journalists reported that the reconstruction works may have been infiltrated by criminal organizations, the mafia and camorra trying to infiltrate the contract procedures.

On 7 April, a few hours after the main earthquake, journalist Luca Spinelli stated:[80]

"The transfers of money necessitated by such a big tragedy are huge: much the same as the cost of running a war. [...] Any company would be interested in a turnover and a potential income like this. Surely the "main Italian company" will be: a company with a ninety billion annual income, making up to 7% of Italian GDP (Gross Domestic Product): the Mafia. [...] Abruzzo and Marsica are known territories of the mafia. A region which "attracted the attention of some Camorra and Sacra Corona Unita associates too", according to Franco Forgione, President of the Parliamentary Antimafia Commission in 2007. A region which, according to the Antimafia District Public Prosecutor's Office of L'Aquila, hosts part of the hidden treasure of mafia boss Vito Ciancimino, reckoned to be around 600 million euros, a region which has seen many recent arrests for mafia infiltration; infiltration in contracts, building permits, the health system, the very things that will be needed for the reconstruction."

The week following the earthquake, on 14 April, journalist and writer Roberto Saviano, author of the bestseller Gomorrah, wrote:[81]

"Data demonstrates that the Camorra invasion (in Abruzzo) during these years was enormous. In 2006 it emerged that the ambush against mafia boss Vitale was decided and settled in detail at Villa Rosa in Martinsicuro. On 10 September, Diego Leon Montoya Sanchez, the drug dealer deemed amongst the ten most wanted by the FBI, had one of his bases in Abruzzo. Nicola di Villano, cashier in a criminal-entrepreneurial organisation led by the Zagaria family of Casapesenna, repeatedly managed to escape capture and it was discovered that his shelter was located in the Abruzzo National Park, where he had the ability to move freely. Abruzzo has become a junction point for waste traffic. [...] Behind it all, obviously, the Camorra clans."

In the following weeks, even major Italian institutions talked about the danger of criminal infiltration, noting that these risks would have been avoided with adequate supervision and inspections. On 15 April, President of the Chamber of Deputies Gianfranco Fini confirmed the need to "watch out for mafia infiltrations".[82]

On 17 April, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, stated: "Exploitation will be impossible, we will reconstruct within 6 months keeping out exploitation and the mafia."[83]

State funeral

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone presides over the state funeral ceremony

On the morning of 10 April 2009, which was also Good Friday, a state funeral was held for 205 of the 291 victims of the earthquake. It was attended by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano, and many other politicians and church dignitaries.[84] The funeral Mass was led by the Vatican's second highest official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. The Vatican had earlier granted a special dispensation to hold a Mass on Good Friday, the only day on the Roman Catholic calendar on which Mass is not normally held.[85] Near the end, an Islamic rite was held for the Muslim victims. In addition Friday was declared a national day of mourning, with flags flying at half staff, shops lowering their shutters and flights stopping at the airport for one minute of silence.[86]

Pope Benedict XVI later visited the areas affected by the L'Aquila earthquake on 28 April 2009.[87]

In response to the earthquake, automaker Ferrari announced that an F430 painted silver and gold would be produced. It was auctioned, and all proceeds went to the relief fund. This was the last F430 produced. In addition, Italian Formula 1 racing driver Jarno Trulli arranged a fund raising campaign known as Abruzzo In Hearts for the earthquake victims, which Italian icons such as Valentino Rossi took part in. The MotoGP star gave all the money he made from writing a column in a Spanish magazine every month to the cause, and had a sticker on the side of his Yamaha M1 at races.

G8 summit

The 35th G8 summit took place in the city of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, on July 8–10, 2009. It was moved from the Sardinian seaside city of La Maddalena as part of an attempt to redistribute disaster funds after the earthquake.[88]

Prosecutions

A trial—which lasted from September 2011 until October 2012—found six scientists and a former government official guilty of involuntary manslaughter. According to the prosecution, they had spread "inaccurate, incomplete and contradictory" statements after preliminary tremors could be felt on the days before 6 April 2009. The seven members of the National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks who were convicted were: Franco Barberi, head of Serious Risks Commission; Enzo Boschi, former president of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology; Giulio Lorenzo Selvaggi, director of National Earthquake Centre; Gian Michele Calvi, director of European Centre for Earthquake Engineering; Claudio Eva, physicist; Mauro Dolce, director of the Civil Protection Agency's earthquake risk office; Bernardo De Bernardinis, former vice-president of Civil Protection Agency's technical department.[7]

Boschi had called a major earthquake "unlikely", while not entirely excluding the possibility. De Bernardinis had informed the public that there was "no danger".[8] The prosecutors cited a scientific opinion that the low-level tremors ahead of the 6 April quake were typical of the seismic activity preceding major convulsions, but the defendants had classified them as a "normal geological phenomenon".[9] They were criticised in court for being "falsely reassuring" and Judge Marco Billi gave them a six-year jail sentence on 22 October 2012,[7] reasoning that they had provided "an assessment of the risks that was incomplete, inept, unsuitable, and criminally mistaken".[89] They were also banned from ever holding public office again and had to pay court costs and damages. Enzo Boschi, one of the convicted, said, "I thought I would have been acquitted. I still don't understand what I was convicted of."[7] His co-defendant Claudio Eva said that "it was a very Italian and medieval decision."[90] Their lawyers announced they would appeal the verdict, and it will not be finally decided until it is heard by the appellate court.

Many international scientists were displeased with the verdicts.[7] Malcolm Sperrin, a British scientist, said:

If the scientific community is to be penalised for making predictions that turn out to be incorrect, or for not accurately predicting an event that subsequently occurs, then scientific endeavour will be restricted to certainties only, and the benefits that are associated with findings, from medicine to physics, will be stalled.[7]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Amos, Jonathan (6 April 2009). "Italy lives with quake threat". BBC News Online. London.
  2. ^ a b c d Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV). Location of April 6, 2009 earthquake updated with all the available data. Retrieved 24 August 2009. Archived 7 September 2009.
  3. ^ "Italy Quake Reconstruction to Cost at Least $16 Billion". Fox News. 15 April 2009. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 19 April 2009 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f Hooper, John (28 April 2009). "Pope visits Italian village hit hardest by earthquake". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Abruzzo in ginocchio, i morti sono 272 Ancora scosse. Venerdì i funerali di Stato". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Milan. 8 April 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV). The L'Aquila seismic sequence - April 2009. Accessed 24 August 2009. Archived 7 September 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Johnston, Alan (2012 [last update]). "BBC News - L'Aquila quake: Italy scientists guilty of manslaughter". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
  8. ^ a b c Pappas, Stephanie (2012 [last update]). "Italian Scientists Get 6 Years for Earthquake Statements | LiveScience". livescience.com. Retrieved 22 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
  9. ^ a b Sisto, Alberto (22 October 2012). "Italian scientists convicted over earthquake warning". Reuters. London. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b c "Magnitude 6.3 - CENTRAL ITALY 2009 April 06 01:32:42 UTC". USGS. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
  11. ^ "Effect of Time Dependence on Probabilistic Seismic-Hazard Maps and Deaggregation for the Central Apennines, Italy". Seismological Society of America. 6 April 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ a b Lewis, Paul (6 April 2009). "Background: Italy and earthquakes". The Guardian. London.
  13. ^ "L'Aquila, prov. of L'Aquila, Abruzzo". Abruzzo2000.com. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
  14. ^ Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc (1792). Buffon's Natural History. Vol. 2. London: J.S. Barr. OCLC 316760617.
  15. ^ "Хакик Бајрами шестиот македонски граѓанин кој загина во Италија" (in Macedonian). A1 TV. 9 April 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)|
  16. ^ a b "Cinci români, printre victimele cutremurului din Italia" (in Romanian). Realitatea TV. 8 April 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ a b "Quake: Over 100 dead, 1,500 injured". ANSA. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009.[dead link]
  18. ^ a b "Terrenoto: Al termine messaggio benedizione dell'imam". La Repubblica. Rome. 10 April 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009.
  19. ^ a b "Eight-year-old Ukrainian girl killed in earthquake in Italy". UNIAN. 8 April 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ a b "Trapped Greek student found dead in L' Aquila". ANA. 7 April 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ a b "Italie/séisme: Une française tuée". Le Figaro (in French). Paris. Agence France-Presse. 7 April 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ Nahmias, Roee (8 April 2009). "Body of Israeli missing since Italy quake found". ynet. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ Gues, ed. (07-04-2009). "Murió una argentina en el sismo de Italia" (in Spanish). Retrieved 09-04-2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  24. ^ "il Centro - Le vittime del terremoto Abruzzo". Racconta.kataweb.it. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
  25. ^ "Le vittime del Terremoto". il Centro. Retrieved 02-06-2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  26. ^ a b "Powerful Italian quake kills many". BBC News Online. London. 6 April 2009.
  27. ^ "TG1 ed. 08.00 08.04 integrale" (in Italian). TG1. 8 April 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ a b "Death toll rises in Italy quake". BBC News Online. London. 7 April 2009.
  29. ^ "Italy quake kills at least 150, scores saved". Agence France-Presse. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2009.[dead link]
  30. ^ Owen, Richard; Bannerman, Lucy (7 April 2009). "Italy in desperate race to save the buried after the earthquake". The Times. London.
  31. ^ "Quake: 'Huge' artistic damage". ANSA. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009.[dead link]
  32. ^ "Les Thermes de Caracalla, à Rome, touchés par le séisme". La Presse (in French). Montreal. 6 April 2009.
  33. ^ "Berlusconi: "Tre mie case per gli sfollati"". Cronache (blog) (in Italian). Milan: Corriere della Sera. 10 April 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ Naughton, Philippe (8 April 2009). "Berlusconi gaffe as he says quake homeless should enjoy 'a camping weekend'". The Times. London.
  35. ^ Donadio, Rachel; Povoledo, Elisabetta (8 April 2009). "Rescuers Scramble in Search for Quake Survivors". The New York Times.
  36. ^ Aloisi, Silvia (10 April 2009). "Berlusconi offers own homes to quake survivors". Reuters. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ "Investigation of building standards in quake zone". Associated Press. 11 April 2009. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)[dead link]
  38. ^ Aloisi, Silvia (7 April 2009). "Italy quake exposes poor building standards". Reuters. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ "Officials to probe building standards in quake zone". CTV Toronto. 11 April 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  40. ^ "The earthquake lights (EQL) of the 6 April 2009 Aquila earthquake, in Central Italy, NHESS, V.10, p.967, 2010". Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ http://www2.ogs.trieste.it/bgta/pdf/bgta0034_FIDANI.pdf
  42. ^ "NHESS - Abstract - The earthquake lights (EQL) of the 6 April 2009 Aquila earthquake, in Central Italy". Nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
  43. ^ "Aftershock hits Italy quake zone". BBC News Online. London. 7 April 2009.
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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2009 L'Aquila earthquake.
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