An earthquake struck central Italy on Sunday, destroying a cathedral, a medieval tower and other historic landmarks. No deaths were reported but several dozen people were injured.
Fox News reported the quake was the third to hit Italy in the last two months, and the only good news is that it spared human life when it hit over the wekend.
The series of quakes started in August when one killed nearly 300 people, and then there were back-to-back quakes on Oct. 26th. However, it was Sunday’s quake that is being considered the strongest in the last 36 years, Fox News noted.
“A piece of Italian identity is at stake at this moment,” Italian Premier Matteo Renzi said about the houses, churches and businesses that were destroyed.
“Feeling the earth collapse beneath your feet is not a metaphorical expression but is what happened this morning, and half of Italy felt this,” Renzi said.
“This is a tragedy. It is a coup de grace. The basilica is devastated,” Bishop Renato Boccardo of Norcia told Reuters.
“Everyone has been suspended in a never-ending state of fear and stress. They are at their wits’ end,” said Boccardo.
Despite there being no reported deaths in Sunday’s quake, there were 20 injuries reported, according to The Huffington Post.
“We will rebuild everything, the houses, the churches and the businesses,” Boccardo told reporters. “Everything that needs to be done to rebuild these areas will be done.”
“This morning’s quake has hit the few things that were left standing. We will have to start from scratch,” Michele Franchi, the deputy mayor of Arquata del Tronto, told Rai television.
The strongest quake to hit Italy was in 1980, and was responsible for 2,735 deaths, said The Huffington Post.
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