Earthquake in Italy. The most destructive earthquakes in Italy

At night in Italy there was a powerful earthquake. The destruction is enormous, the number of victims is not yet known, but it is already clear that at best it will be in the double digits. It is possible that even hundreds of people actually died, but in such situations it is customary to announce only those whose bodies are found. Many houses collapsed and covered the inhabitants under them, among whom there are highly likely survivors.

dangerous area

The inhabitants of the central part of the Apennine Peninsula are no strangers to earthquakes, they occur here quite often. The last time the earth's crust shook in 2009, the epicenter was then almost under L'Aquila, the capital of the Italian province of Abruzzo-Ultiore Secunda, the intensity was 6.3 points, three hundred people died. However, earthquakes have always been here. Centuries passed, the technological capabilities of mankind grew, but it never learned to deal with this disaster. The only thing that people have learned, and for a long time, is to build earthquake-resistant buildings, but the ideal has not been achieved in this matter either. And today the houses are collapsing and burying their inhabitants under them.

At a tectonic break

The sources of danger are such powerful forces that it is practically impossible to resist them or to foresee their action. Somewhere down there, under Italy, two giant tectonic plates, the African and the Eurasian, are in conflict. The process of their eternal struggle is also influenced by the Tyrrhenian Sea, which expands over time, increasingly moving away from the mainland Sardinia and Corsica. This happens very slowly and lasts for millions of years, but even tiny shifts of these colossal masses cause terrible consequences. Simplified, the process looks like this: the sea presses on a plate that goes under the Apennines, and in the place where the mountain range passing through the peninsula breaks, surface vibrations occur. It is there that Perugia and L'Aquila are located, the cities most often affected by earthquakes.

blows

There were two shocks, the first of them happened at night, when everyone was sleeping, at 36 minutes past three, which explains the large number of victims, as well as missing people. As representatives of the seismological service of Italy later explained, the epicenter was located at a depth of about four kilometers from the surface, and on the plan it approximately corresponded to the coordinates of the city of Accumoli. The magnitude was 6.0 points. Approximately an hour later (less than two minutes) a second shock followed, this time in the administrative region of Umbria, it was weaker than the first, but not much, 5.4 points. Rome, Naples and Bologna were noticeably shaking, in the Marche region and the provinces of Macerata, Fermo and Ascoli Piceno, destruction of buildings was recorded. Seismologists have warned residents of the possibility of new strikes, according to Andrea Tertulliani, a volcanologist at Italy's National Institute of Geophysics.

Destruction and casualties

Initially, the authorities reported six dead, then twenty, a little later their number grew to "several dozen". The disaster area is densely populated, so information about the victims comes from several small cities at the same time. There are human victims in Arquata del Tronto (so far it is known for certain about three, including one child), Amatrice (five) and Accumoli (at least six). More often, rescue services operate with the concept of “missing”, their number is in the hundreds, we are talking about people littered under destroyed buildings, whose lives are in danger if timely assistance is not provided. According to Sergio Pirozzi, the mayor of Amatrice, half of the city ceased to exist as a result of the landslide, the power supply failed, the bridge was probably destroyed. Services are trying to organize a worthy place for temporary storage of corpses, of which there are already dozens. Survivors are provided with emergency medical care by affordable means. The situation is characterized by the mayor as extremely difficult.

Actions of the authorities

Seismologists' predictions about possible aftershocks, that is, aftershocks, came true, there were one and a half hundred of them, including two dozen strong ones. This circumstance, however, did not prevent the Italian rescue services from doing their duty. Two and a half thousand residents have been evacuated from the disaster zone to safe areas, urgent work is underway, dozens of victims have already been removed from the rubble. Military personnel, police officers and volunteers of the local branch of the international organization "Red Cross" are involved in this difficult operation. National Civil Defense units have been introduced into the region. President Sergio Mattarella addressed the people, calling on his compatriots to unite in the face of the destructive elements.

Russian embassy information

According to the latest published data, there are no citizens of the Russian Federation among the dead and missing. The areas affected by the earthquake are located away from popular tourist routes, so there are usually few foreigners there, however, this information is still being checked and will be clarified after responding to a request sent to the Italian Civil Protection Department.

According to the Kremlin press service, the President of Russia has already sent a message to his Italian counterpart expressing condolences and readiness to provide any necessary assistance.

So far, 73 people have been reported dead as a result of a devastating earthquake in central Italy. Unfortunately, it is very likely that this is not the final figure.

Meanwhile in Myanmar

In Asia, the earth is also shaking. On August 24, aftershocks were felt in India, Bangladesh and Thailand, and their epicenter was in Myanmar at a distance of 25 kilometers from the city of Chau at a depth of 84 km. In Kolkata, for security reasons, the work of the subway was stopped. In Dhaka (Bangladesh), two dozen residents were injured.

This event was reported by the US Geological Survey. There was only one lethal case - a young man of 22 years old died under the ruins of a fallen building. One woman was injured. A local attraction was also damaged - the ancient ruins of the city of Pagan, often visited by tourists from all over the world.

Earthquakes are a distant and unknown to most people, but at the same time a very terrifying phenomenon. I think that there is no such person in our country who would not sympathize with the affected Italian families after the recent rampant disaster in Amatrice (Amatrice) and Accumoli (Accumoli).

Victims, destruction and, of course, fear are the constant companions of any disaster. Not only local residents are afraid of a repeat of the disaster, but also tourists who exclude Italy from the list of possible holiday destinations.

We propose to consider this problem in more detail and understand whether earthquakes in Italy and in are so terrible, as they are presented by the domestic media.

To understand why earthquakes occur in Italy, it is necessary to consider the tectonics of the earth's plates.

The shell of the Earth is divided into several large tectonic plates. Earthquakes occur as a result of the release of energy in the earth's crust due to tectonic displacements.

The southern part of the Italian peninsula is just located not far from the line where the Eurasian and African plates meet and push against each other, creating seismic tension. Large volcanoes (Etna), (Stromboli) and (Vesuvio) are very close to this zone.

Besides, Italy has a number of small faults along the Apennine ridge (Appennini). It is gradually elongated at a rate of about 3 mm per year. This slow stretch causes energy to build up in the earth's crust, which is then released during earthquakes.

Minor tremors occur almost daily. But they are so small that they go unnoticed.
Despite the fact that the territory of Italy is considered one of the most seismically active in Europe, it is worth noting that many large countries of the world, such as Japan, the USA, Britain, India, New Zealand, Australia and a number of others, are prone to earthquakes.

Vulnerable regions

The areas most prone to earthquakes in Italy were legislated in 2003 to reduce the effects of cataclysms through the construction and proper placement of earthquake-resistant structures.

According to the legal measure, the Italian territory is divided into 4 zones depending on the likelihood of earthquakes:

1. Zone 1 - the most dangerous areas where strong earthquakes can occur. Regions: Calabria (Calabria), eastern part (Campania), western part (Abruzzo) and southern part (Umbria) (these are areas located along the Apennine ridge), east coast (Sicilia), (Friuli-Venezia Giulia).
2. Zone 2 - These areas may be partially affected by major earthquakes. Regions: most of Sicily (except the center of the west coast), (Basilicata), Molise (Molise), Marche (Marche), western Abruzzo, southeastern (Emilia-Romagna) and (Lombardia), western (Piedonte), west coast ( Tuscany).
3. Zone 3 - areas in which slight fluctuations are possible. Regions: western (Liguria), southwestern Piedmont, almost all of Emilia-Romagna, the central part of the region (Veneto), northern Apulia (Puglia), (Lazio), including (Roma).
4. Zone 4 - the least dangerous areas with a low probability of seismic activity. Regions: southern Puglia (the heel of the Italian boot on the map), (Sardegna), Valle d'Aosta (Valle d'Aosta), most of Piedmont, western and northern Lombardy, (Trentino-Alto Adige).

History of earthquakes

Over the past 2000 years, about 400 major earthquakes have been recorded on the territory of modern Italy, which claimed the lives of several thousand people.

One of the largest natural disasters that occurred in Italy in 1783 is called the Calabrian earthquake. Tremors with a magnitude of more than 5.9 points continued for almost 2 months. The number of people who died was estimated at about 80,000.

In the first hour of the earthquake on February 5, 1783, the magnitude reached 8 points. Within just 1 minute, about 100 villages in the Calabria region were razed to the ground. In some places, earth faults appeared more than a kilometer long. Witnesses claimed that "two mountains walked towards each other until they merged into one, intercepting the riverbed." Thus, new lakes appeared in the region, which were artificially drained after 30 years.

Several hundred people from the city of Scilla survived the initial tremors and fled to the beach for cover. Many of them drowned when repeated vibrations caused a tsunami. Thousands of people were killed by water in the cities of Reggio di Calabria (Reggio di Calabria) and Messina (Messina). Suffering continued in southern Italy and Sicily for the remainder of the winter. In addition, the last aftershocks, which occurred on March 28, killed several thousand more people.

The Calabrian earthquake of 1783 is considered to be one of the most devastating disasters in the history of Western Europe.

Italy has also suffered a series of deadly swings over the last century:

• 1908 Sicily and Calabria (magnitude 7.1). The cities of Messina and Reggio di Calabria were almost completely destroyed. The death toll reached 200 thousand people.
• January 1915 Abruzzo. A devastating earthquake leveled the city of Avezzano, killing 30,000 people. Many people died from severe frosts, left homeless.
• July 1930 Campaign. The 6.6 magnitude wobble claimed about 2,000 lives. Many people were saved by the fact that they were not at home, but were engaged in field work harvesting wheat.
• May 1976 Friuli. 6.5 magnitude aftershocks in northeastern Italy. About 1,000 people died, 2,400 were injured, and 157,000 were left homeless.
• November 1980 Campaign. With its epicenter at Eboli, the 6.9-magnitude quake killed 3,000 people and made about 200,000 homeless. Vibrated for 22 minutes after the shocks stopped.

• April 2009 Abruzzo. The 6.3 magnitude fluctuation left thousands of people homeless. Killed about 300. Tremors were felt even in Rome, located 100 km from the epicenter. Members of the National Commission for the Prevention of Disasters were found guilty of manslaughter due to late notification of the danger.

• May 2012 Emilia-Romagna. A magnitude 6 quake in northern Italy. 24 people died, hundreds were injured, 15,000 people were left homeless.

Echoes of earthquakes in Rome

Although Rome is considered a seismically safe area and has never been the epicenter of earthquakes, but in its history there are cases of tragic echoes of the elements that caused significant destruction.

So, for example, historians believe that the famous house on Valentini Street (Domus di palazzo Valentini) was once abandoned due to severe damage that appeared after strong tremors in the 5th century.

A terrible earthquake in 1349 with a magnitude of 6.9 in the Friuli region caused significant destruction in the capital of Italy. Thus, the famous Police Tower (Torre delle Milizie), located behind Trajan's Market (Mercati di Traiano), lost two floors and acquired a slight slope.

Seismologists say that it was the strongest catastrophe that destroyed part (Colosseo) and damaged the basilica (basilica di San Paolo). By the way, the basilica also suffered in each subsequent case, since it is located in the most vulnerable place - not far from. Francesco Petrarca witnessed the terrible destruction when he visited Rome in 1350. He describes abandoned buildings, destroyed churches, huge cracks in many structures. “Everything saddens,” he writes, “inspires chilling horror!”

But perhaps the most devastating earthquake to hit the city was the 1703 disaster that struck central Italy. Several cities such as Norcia were wiped off the face of the Earth, churches, palaces, monuments were destroyed. The Colosseum was damaged again. People have been sleeping on the streets for several weeks due to the ongoing aftershocks.

On this, the elements did not leave the city alone. Two centuries later, horrific destruction and death were repeated again. On January 13, 1915, at 7:55 am, the city began to shake, people ran out into the streets in a panic. Even the Swiss guards and prelates, leaving their posts, rushed to the exits in horror. Two buildings completely collapsed, was seriously damaged (Campidoglio), cracks appeared on the walls of hundreds of buildings, the Antonin column (colonna Antonina) turned on its pedestal. Now the base of the column is at the entrance to the Pinakothek where we invite you to.

2016: Consequences and affected areas

The media is full of pictures of destroyed buildings and bloody bodies, striking fear into the minds of people around the world. But is it all that terrible?

If you look closely at the dynamics of the number of victims in the history of Italian earthquakes, you can trace a natural decrease in the number of dead people. We invite you to familiarize yourself with what the republic faced this time.

24 August

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.2 shook central Italy on August 24 early in the morning. The tremors were caused by movement in the Tyrrhenian Basin (a seismically active zone in the Mediterranean Sea).

The epicenter of the earthquake was about 10 km southeast of the historic tourist town of Norcia. The aftershocks killed 297 people: 234 in Amatrice, 11 in Accumoli and 49 in Arquata del Tronto. About 365 injured people were taken to hospitals, while people with less serious injuries were treated on the spot. 238 people were pulled out of the rubble thanks to timely measures taken.

The mayor of Amatrice said that "half of the city is practically destroyed." Economic losses are estimated at 1 to 11 billion dollars.

Many medieval buildings have been reduced to ruins. In Amatrice, the façade and the rose-shaped window of the church of Sant'Agostino were destroyed. The museum dedicated to the artist Nicolo Filotessio (student) collapsed. The shaking was felt all the way to Rome (about 112 km southwest of the city). Cracks appeared in the Roman (Terme di Caracalla).

October 26 and 30

No sooner had Italy recovered from the summer catastrophe than it was struck by a new wave of tremors. A series of powerful earthquakes covered the country between the Marche and Umbria regions from 26 to 30 October 2016:

• Magnitude 5.5, 8 km southeast of Sellano (October 26 at 20:11 Moscow time). The tremors were barely felt in Rome, although half of my Roman friends didn't feel them. Several houses collapsed in the Marche region. There were power outages, telephone lines were not working.

• Magnitude 6.1, 3 km west of Visso (October 26 at 22:18 Moscow time). The consequences were less than expected. One man died after suffering a heart attack due to the earthquake.

• Magnitude 6.6, 6 km north of Spoleto (October 30, 0640 GMT). The village of Arquata del Tronto was destroyed. More than 40 settlements were partially destroyed. About 100,000 people lost their homes. The Basilica of Saint Benedict in Norcia was damaged. During the shaking, two women died of heart attacks.

The victims of the October disaster were avoided due to the fact that people managed to leave the buildings.

2017: earthquake on the island of Ischia

On Monday, August 21 at 20:57 local time in Italian (Ischia), an earthquake of magnitude 4 on the Richter scale struck. Its epicenter was located in the sea 3 km north of the island at a depth of 5 km. Seismologists reported that the earthquake is of volcanic origin, since the island itself arose 150 thousand years ago after the eruption of underwater volcanoes.

As a result of the rampant elements, 2 women died and 39 people were injured. The city of Casamicciola was hit. About 2,000 people were left without a roof over their heads and were promptly placed in hotels.

The good news that spread all over the world was the rescue of three brothers from the rubble of the destroyed building. The smallest, seven-month-old baby Pasquale, was found at night. He escaped with minor scratches. Eight-year-old Matthias was discovered by morning, and teenager Kiro, 11, spent about 14 hours under the rubble. Their mother, who is 5 months pregnant, miraculously escaped through the bathroom window.

As noted, most of the destruction occurred due to dilapidation of structures and non-compliance with earthquake prevention measures during the construction of new buildings. At the same time, the legality of the latter raises some doubts, since the Italian authorities are making significant efforts to ensure that the damage from the rampant elements is minimal.

It is worth emphasizing that this is not the first time shaking has tormented the island. According to the "Catalogo parametrico dei terremoti italiani 2015", Ischia has been hit by earthquakes 12 times in the past. The last one is dated November 23, 1980. The most devastating thing happened on July 28, 1883. It left behind more than 2,200 dead out of a population of 4,000. But in most cases, fluctuations did not exceed 4 points and were localized in small areas.

Therefore, the scale of the disaster on August 21 can be considered insignificant. By the way, the inhabitants of the southern part of the island did not feel the slightest jolt.

Not a single scientist in the world can give a long-term forecast for the occurrence of natural disasters. It is impossible to say with accuracy whether there will be another earthquake in a year or in 20 years. Seismologists say that the Italian territory can be subject to serious shocks every 10-15 years.

It is impossible to prevent an earthquake, but it is possible to avoid casualties and destruction by building earthquake-resistant buildings. Today in Italy much attention is paid to the policy of disaster prevention. It is clear that buildings in small villages and historical buildings cannot be protected from the elements, but the construction of new buildings in large cities takes into account the vulnerability of the regions.

Of course, Italy is not safe ... Not safe, like all other countries on our planet. We do not know where and when nature will decide to show us its power: it will bring down showers and snowfalls or shake it up, spin a tornado or throw a meteorite. But the fact is that it is not worth living in fear.

Not going to Italy because of the possibility of earthquakes is like not eating for fear of poisoning, not becoming a mother for fear of losing your figure, and not loving for fear of being abandoned, while suffering from loneliness. Moreover, everything is calm in Rome and other big cities and we learn about many catastrophes from relatives and friends who, having seen the next story on the news, immediately call and worry.

The only fear we should have is to waste our time aimlessly. Rejoice, love, travel and remember: “Not the one who got into trouble is lost, but the one who lost his spirit!”. We are waiting for you in the Eternal City.

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The increasing tremors in Italy have recently become the number one topic in many media. Seismic activity maps constantly signal dozens of earthquakes every day in this region, with some of them reaching magnitudes of up to 6.6. For many inhabitants of the Apennine Peninsula, these phenomena were unexpected. In many cases, they rallied people to help each other, which helped save many people. After all, as the first foundation of ALLATRA "VALUE OF LIFE" says:

“The highest value in this world is human life. The life of any person must be protected as one's own, because although it is fleeting, it gives everyone a chance to increase their main value - their inner spiritual wealth, the only thing that opens the way for the Personality to true spiritual immortality.

Increase the main value of your life every day, for a person is suddenly mortal. Strive for perfection, match your personal choice and activity with the main meaning of your existence - the spiritual and moral transformation of yourself, serving the highest universal spiritual values.

Statistics speaks of 110 earthquakes in this region with a magnitude above 3.0 in the period from 01/05/2016 to 08/11/2016 (for the last half a year).

Rice. 1. Map of seismic activity on the Apennine Peninsula and the eastern coast of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas with magnitude > 3.0 in the period 01/05/2016 to 08/11/2016.According toUSGS .

Scientists know today that the Apennine Peninsula, on which, in addition to Italy, there are also states such as San Marino and the Vatican, is located at the junction of three tectonic plates: African, Eurasian and Adriatic (Apulia). As a result, this region is characterized by mountain formations, volcanic and seismic activity.

Rice. 2. Tectonic structure of the Apennine Peninsula.

The Adriatic microplate broke away from the African plate by the so-called transform fault, in which a new fault is located along the boundary of the lithospheric plate. The Adriatic plate is still moving towards the Eurasian plate and "dives" under the Apennine mountain range, moving from east to west and at the same time turning clockwise, creating stresses in the earth's crust. The Periadriatic Fault running through the Alps separates these two plates. Part of the oceanic crust of the African Plate is subducting at the southern edge of the Adriatic Plate, resulting in the formation of volcanoes in southern Italy.

“It is known that the African plate is slowly but surely sinking to the bottom. It is unlikely that Africa will sink, but Africa and Europe continue to converge. The question is how they will meet”,- Rinus Wortel, University of Utrecht (Netherlands).

The devastating earthquake that occurred in August and October 2016 in Italy was due to the movement of the Adriatic plate.

Rice. 3. Tectonic structure of the Apennine Peninsula. The arrows show the zones of compression and tension.

And the following figure shows the tectonic structure of Europe and the Middle East. After all, all the processes occurring in the earth's crust are interconnected. Consequently, an increase in activity in one of the regions can lead to a regular increase in activity in another.

Rice. 4. Tectonic structure of Europe and the Middle East.

Due to the complex geological structure, Italy is at risk:

Increased seismic activity. In 2016, we observe devastating earthquakes that occurred on August 24 (6.2 points), October 30 (6.6 points) and October 26 (6.1 points), etc.;

Mountain building (Apennines, Alps);

Volcanic activity. On the territory of Italy there are 13 volcanoes, 3 of which are gigantic - Vesuvius (sleeping), Stromboli and Etna (active).

Supervolcano - Phlegraean Fields Caldera ( ital. Campi Flegrei), located northwest of Naples on the shores of the Gulf of Pozzuoli (ital. Golfo di Pozzuoli). It also includes the coastal strip of the Tyrrhenian Sea ( ital. Mare Tirreno) at Kum ( ital. Cuma), as well as the islands of Nizida, Procida, Vivara and Ischia. The fields cover an area of ​​approximately 10 × 10 km. According to scientists, the last eruption of the Phlegraean Fields caldera occurred 39,280 years ago. The last activity of the caldera was recorded on November 29, 2015.

Rice. 5. Supervolcano - Phlegraean fields caldera (Italy).

Note that according to the observations of scientists, in contrast to the interconnected as communicating vessels of the Yellowstone (USA) and Aira (Japan) calderas, the Phlegrean Fields caldera does not pose a threat, at least in the coming years. But do not forget about the other active tectonic and volcanic phenomena mentioned above on the Apennine Peninsula.

It is worth noting that scientists from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, said that according to satellite photographs, due to the latest seismic activity in October 2016, the land in the Castelluccio area subsided by 70 cm.

In addition, according to representatives of the Italian Space Agency (Asi) and the Research Institute for Electromagnetic Survey of the Natural Environment (Irea), the earthquake of magnitude 6.6 that occurred on October 30, 2016 in central Italy, led to a significant deformation of the earth's surface over a total area of ​​1100 square kilometers.

Scientists, having studied images obtained from space, came to the conclusion that the territory adjacent to the city of Norcia (Umbria region) has shifted to the west by about 30 cm, while the area near the village of Montegallo (Marche region), on the contrary, has shifted to the east by about 40 cm

All these processes testify to the impending global cataclysms on planet Earth, for which it is necessary for all mankind to prepare in advance now. Speaking about preparation, it is meant, first of all, not the construction of bunkers (by the way, meaningless), but the purification of human relationships, the improvement of the atmosphere in society. If people extend a hand of friendship and help to each other, then even in the hour of difficult climatic tests, it will be much easier for all of us to survive them and worthily make a choice in favor of unity and friendship of all peoples of the world. The unification of people from all over the world on the basis of spiritual and moral values ​​can change the course of history.

“People have been dreaming of such a society since time immemorial, calling it in their legends the “Land of Good”, the “state of bliss”, the “golden millennium”, the “world of justice”, the “millennium”, that is, the future, which can approach through divine intervention, but achieved by human actions”, - from the book “AllatRa”.

“Given the impending global cataclysms, it is necessary for people themselves to begin to change their attitude towards themselves and towards society here and now. After all, it is not known who you will be tomorrow - a refugee or a host country, and what your chances of survival will be in this or that situation. In the modern world of global climate change, one cannot vouch for a single inch of land due to the manifestation of new extreme anomalies of nature, which pose a danger even to relatively stable areas of residence. In other words, no one is immune from all kinds of growing risks, and each of us can become a climate refugee tomorrow. In this regard, it is extremely important to globally and quickly change the values ​​of society from a consumer format to a spiritual and moral, creative format, where goodness, humanity, conscience, mutual assistance, friendship, the dominance of spiritual and moral foundations would come first in the relationship between people, regardless of their nationality, religion, social status and other conditional, artificial divisions of world society. When all people strive to create a life that is convenient for everyone around them, then in this life they will preserve themselves and their future.” From the scientific report ALLATRA SCIENCE “On the problems and consequences of global climate change on Earth. Effective ways to solve these problems”.

Prepared by: Ekaterina Ageichenko and Vitaly Afanasiev

On Monday evening, an earthquake hit the Italian island of Ischia, which led to the destruction of several settlements, there are injured and missing.

According to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology of Italy (Ingv), an earthquake of magnitude 4.0 occurred at 20:58 (21:58 Moscow time). Its epicenter was located in close proximity to the western coast of the island in the sea at a depth of about 10 km.

The destruction was recorded in two resort towns - Casamicciola Terme and Lacco Ameno, which are located on the northern coast of the island.

According to eyewitnesses, fluctuations in the earth's surface were clearly felt in various settlements of the island and caused panic among residents and numerous tourists vacationing in Ischia. The situation was aggravated by a complete blackout that occurred at that moment in the port of Ischia.

An old church collapsed in Casamicciola Terme. An elderly woman passing by was killed by one of the pieces of her façade. A residential building collapsed in the same village. Under its ruins were seven people. Among them are three small children. Rescuers managed to extract three people from under the rubble of the building - two men and one woman, including the father of the children who remained under the ruins.

Maya Lomidze, Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), said that Ischia is one of the most popular Italian destinations on the Russian market. According to her, according to ATOR, there are no Russian citizens among the victims. The tour operators have not yet received complaints and concerned calls from Russian tourists. However, she added that this is not the final data. According to her, the information needs constant clarification.

According to a representative of the Russian embassy, ​​the diplomats contacted the competent authorities of Italy and tried to find out if there were Russian citizens among the victims of the earthquake on the island of Ischia. So far, the Italians do not have such information. The Russian embassy maintains constant contact with the Italian authorities.

Ischia is an island of volcanic origin, in the center of which is the extinct volcano Epomeo. It is due to geological features that thermal springs were formed there. In antiquity, numerous earthquakes and eruptions occurred on the island, the last strong earthquake was recorded in Ischia in 1883. Then the magnitude of the shock was 5.8, more than 2 thousand people became victims of the elements.

According to experts, the magnitude of 3.6 is small for Italy. However, the danger lies in the fact that Ischia is located in close proximity to the active and dormant volcano Vesuvius, as well as opposite a special zone called the Phlegrean fields. This is a concentration of underwater volcanoes considered extinct, the eruptions of which lead to the phenomenon of bradyseism (local change in sea level).

It happened in the central area of ​​Molise - a popular tourist destination on the east coast of the country.

Earthquake in Italy could cause Vesuvius to erupt

On social media, residents at the epicenter of the 5.2-magnitude quake have shared many videos of the disaster. The shaking happened in the tourist area of ​​Molise, and the city of Montecilfone became the epicenter. The depth of the earthquake goes 12 kilometers underground.

The tremors were also felt in the nearby cities - Avellino, San Giorgio del Sannio, Rieti and Alto Velino, which still cannot be set off by powerful underground

Rescue of a girl in 2016

The Italians are very concerned that the earthquake could cause the awakening of Mount Vesuvius, located 15 kilometers from Naples.

Vesuvius - the most dangerous volcano in Europe

Francesca Bianco, director of the Vesuvius Observatory, said they had received a huge number of calls from concerned residents.

Vesuvius is the only volcano on the European mainland that has woken up in the last hundred years. Today it is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. The fact is that about 3 million people live next to it. This makes it the most densely populated volcanic region in the world.

Authorities have not yet reported any damage from the quake or casualties. However, on Twitter, users talk about their losses themselves. So, one of the inhabitants of the city of Palata reported that cracks began to appear in the walls of his house.

Earthquakes in Italy

Authorities say the earthquake is very similar in nature to the one that hit the country in 2002. Then, in San Giuliano di Puglia, an elementary school collapsed, killing 27 students.

Italy also suffered from. Then the Italian island of Ischia became the epicenter. It was reported about 40 injured and two deaths.

Recall a little earlier in August 2018 in Italy. 10 kilometers of the motorway fell like a load from a height of 100 meters onto the road and residential buildings. It is reported about the death of about 40 people, and the authorities called the cause of the tragedy.