6.0-magnitude quake leaves 3 killed, several injured in Italy

PanARMENIAN.Net - A powerful earthquake shook Italy's industrial and densely populated northeast early Sunday, May 20 killing three people and felling homes and church steeples around the historic city of Ferrara, AFP reported.

Emergency services said at least 50 people were injured in the 6.0-magnitude quake, which struck around 0200 GMT, sending thousands of people running into the streets in town and cities from the Emilia-Romagna region to Venice.

Authorities said the quake's epicentre was the commune of Finale Emilia, 36 kilometres (22 miles) north of Bologna.

The magnitude 6.0 quake happened at a depth of 5.1 kilometres (3.2 miles) and lasted around 20 seconds, followed by several aftershocks.

The region shaken by the quake is Italy's industrial heartland but also home to priceless architectural and art treasures. The historic centre of Ferrara is classified as a world heritage site.

Earlier a 4.1-magnitude quake shook the Lombardy region around Milan, Italy's financial and business capital, and was felt in the historic cities of Modena, Mantua and Rovigo as well as Ferrara.

In March 2009, a 6.3 magnitude quake devastated the central city of l'Aquila, killing some 300 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.