Earthquake every 12 mins in Italy last yr (3)

(ANSA) - Milan, January 22 - There was an earthquake every 12 minutes in Italy last year, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said Monday. The total of tremors was 44,459, around triple the 2015 tally of 15,000, it said. In 2014 there were 24,300, while in 2016 they rose to 53,000 due to a strong seismic sequence that produces three major quakes in central Italy. Of the quakes in 2017, five were of a magnitude equal to or over five, 21 of magnitude 4-4.9 and 370 of magnitude 3-4.