M6.3 – Central Italy

M6.3 Magnitude Earthquake – Central Italy [Source: al-Jezeera]

A significant earthquake struck central Italy about 1:30am UTC (Universal Coordinated Time). The quake appears to really have struck at or near the geometric center of Italy. The medieval town of L’Aquila is located nearby, which is about 60mi (100km) northeast of Rome.

Of importance, note that the L’Aquila University hospital had to be closed as fears mounted that the building would collapse.

I would suggest that the age of many of the structures surrounding the epicenter, and perhaps many older buildings throughout Italy, were not built with earthquakes in mind, despite being in a seismically active region.

The article posted comes from al-Jezeera.

Technorati Tags: earthquake,l'aquila,italy,magnitude,al-jezeera,utc