Italy Hit by Strongest Quake in 35 Years, No Immediate Deaths Reported

Italy Hit by Strongest Quake in 35 Years, No Immediate Deaths Reported
A firefighter (L) and an alpine soldier look at rubble in the hilltop town of Amatrice as an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 struck central Italy, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016. Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP
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NORCIA, Italy—Another powerful earthquake shook Italy on Sunday, sending panicked people running into piazzas, raining boulders onto highways and toppling a Benedictine cathedral and other historic edifices that had withstood several recent quakes. There were no immediate reports of deaths.

With a preliminary magnitude of 6.6, it was the strongest earthquake to strike the country in nearly 36 years. People throughout the mountainous region northeast of Rome were still on edge after a pair of jolts last week and an August quake that killed nearly 300.

That there were no reports of fatalities was largely due to the fact that thousands had left their homes for shelters and hotels after the earlier temblors, and that large swaths of inhabited areas had been closed for safety reasons.

Despite the new collapses, the head of the civil protection agency, Fabrizio Curcio, said there was no indication that anyone was missing or buried under rubble. Earlier, three people were extracted from rubble in Tolentino.

A view of the town of Amatrice, with the bell tower visible at left, after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 struck central Italy on Oct. 30, 2016. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)
A view of the town of Amatrice, with the bell tower visible at left, after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 struck central Italy on Oct. 30, 2016. Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP