Four strong earthquakes rocked
central Italy on Wednesday and three livestock farmers have been
reported missing after the tremors.
The alarm for the farmers was sounded by friends who were
unable to contact them via mobile phone.
A great deal of snow has fallen in the area, near to Arquata
del Tronto, and there are fears that structures may have
collapsed with the quakes.
Another 12 farmers who had been reported missing have been
tracked down.
Central Italy suffered a series of devastating earthquakes
last year, including one in August that claimed around 300
lives.
Misery in the areas affected by the quakes has been
compounded by the recent wave of snow and freezing weather.
The first quake took place at around 10:25 and rocked Lazio,
including Rome, Abruzzo and Marche.
Another strong earthquake took place at 11:14 and another
still at 11:26 and then one came after shortly after 14:30.
The first and third earthquakes were magnitude 5.3 and the
second was 5.4, according to initial estimates by the National
Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV).
The epicentres of those quakes were in the province of
L'Aquila, in Abruzzo.
The tremors were felt as far away as Ravenna in the north and
Foggia in the south.
Parts of some structures collapsed, including the bell tower
of the Sant'Agostino church in Amatrice, the town worst-hit by
the August quake.
Some Rome metro stations were evacuated as a precautionary
measure and services suspended, although trains have started
running again on the A line.
Several schools in many areas were closed too.
Civil Protection Chief Fabrizio Curcio said that assessing
the situation after the new series of earthquakes in central
Italy was difficult due to snow in many areas.
"The situation is quite complicated," Curcio told Sky
television.
"We are receiving reports from all over the nation. Obviously
the quake was felt clearly all over the centre, as far as the
capital.
"At the end of the checks we'll be able to say whether we've
had particularly difficult situations or not. It has been
snowing without stop in that area for hours and it will continue
to do so for the next few hours".
The civil protection department in Marche on Wednesday
announced an alarm for possible avalanches due to the heavy
snowfall and the quakes.
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