Aftershocks Rattle G8 Organizers

(NEWSER) - World leaders have begun arriving in Italy for the G8 summit, which at the last minute Silvio Berlusconi relocated to L'Aquila—the devastated town where 300 died in a massive earthquake. While many praised the Italians for quickly rehousing the victims, rebuilding has been stalled and 15,000 people are still living in tents. "The city's situation is frozen," one man in L'Aquila told the Independent. More»

Berlusconi wants world leaders to meet in L'Aquila in July

(NEWSER) - Silvio Berlusconi pledged today to move this summer's G8 summit to L'Aquila, where an earthquake killed 296 people and destroyed the homes of 65,000, Reuters reports. The meeting is set to take place on a small island off Sardinia, but the Italian PM said he would rather see the money for the summit help rebuild the destroyed region. "What seat would be more appropriate than a land wounded by the earthquake?" Berlusconi said. More»

(NEWSER) - Aftershocks in the Abruzzo region of Italy this morning, including one with a magnitude of 5.2, hampered ongoing rescue efforts and spooked refugees still in the area, Reuters reports. Officials closed off the center of L’Aquila, where the latest tremors continued to damage the hard-hit town. Though rescuers fear there are no more survivors from Monday’s quake, efforts will continue through Sunday. More»

Aftershocks continue to rattle region

(NEWSER) - Northern Italy is still being hit by aftershocks this morning, one day after a 6.0 earthquake killed at least seven people and left 11,000 displaced, with thousands forced to spend the night in tents or cars. Two of the aftershocks have had a magnitude of 5.1, and a 4.8 aftershock last night brought down part of Sant'Agostino's city hall. Historic buildings, including a medieval castle, were also damaged in the quake, Sky News reports. Another casualty: nearly $320 million worth of cheese. More than 300,000 wheels of Parmesan and Grana Padano cheese were destroyed in the quake. More»

Strongest quake to hit Italy in 3 years damages buildings, injures many

(NEWSER) - A 6.0 earthquake in northern Italy early today has killed at least six people and injured 50, reports CNN . The earthquake occurred at 4am local time, about 22 miles north of Bologna, and sent thousands of people fleeing into the streets for safety. Serious damage was reported to many historic buildings around the region, and most of those who died were killed by collapsing rubble. "It was a strong one, and it lasted quite a long time," said a hotel receptionist. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Italy since a 6.3 temblor killed 300 people in L'Aquila in 2009. More»