In May-June 2012, a series of powerful earthquakes took place in northern Italy, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 5, 9. The earthquakes claimed more than 200 lives, more than five hundred people were seriously injured and were hospitalized, and thousands of residents were left homeless. The strongest destruction was caused by the earthquake on May 29: many residential buildings, churches and industrial buildings were wiped off the face of the Earth.
The first wave of tremors took place on May 20 in northern Italy in the provinces of Bologna, Ferrara and Modena with a magnitude of 6, 0, 4, 1, 5, 1 on the Richter scale. As a result of the earthquakes, two women and four workers were killed, 50 people were injured, and about three thousand residents were evacuated from dangerous areas. According to seismologists, this was the strongest earthquake in the past three years.
No sooner had Italy recovered from the cataclysm that occurred on May 20, when a new series of earthquakes hit it, according to some reports from 30 to 40 shocks with different magnitudes. On May 29, at 9 am local time in the Tuscany region, seismographs recorded a powerful earthquake of magnitude 5, 8-5, 9. People jumped out of their homes, not having time to dress, and their homes were crumbling behind them. Catastrophic destruction was recorded in the regions of Emilia-Ramenier, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto.
As a result of seismic activity, more than three hundred temples were damaged, of which 56 were destroyed to the ground. The head of the Roman Catholic Church donated one million euros to help the families of those killed in the disaster. The damage caused by the natural disaster is colossal, many ancient architectural buildings and monuments were destroyed, people died, thousands and thousands were left homeless. On June 4, 2012, national mourning was declared for the victims.
On June 12, 2012, another series of tremors was registered not only in northern Italy, but throughout the country. In just a day, more than a hundred fluctuations of average magnitude were recorded - 4, 1-4, 3. The epicenter was at a depth of ten kilometers not far from Carpi. The tremors were also felt in Venice and Florence.
The next wave of underground vibrations took place at night on June 28 near the city of Catania in northeastern Sicily, during the day 17 were recorded. These tremors were much weaker in power than the previous ones - 2, 6-3, 8 on the Richter scale. According to the latest data, no one was killed or wounded, but 15,000 people were left homeless. The strongest tremors were recorded near the active volcano Etna - with a magnitude of 4, 2.
These natural disasters have created panic and instilled fear in the minds of people. Many evacuees living in tent cities are afraid to return to their homes, because even more severe destruction and calamity await.
