Geography assignment - Western Europe

L'Aquila , Italy

Tens of thousands of people became homeless after an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck at 0330 (0130 GMT) in L'Aquila and other towns in central Italy on 2nd April 2009. Over 1500 and 50000 were injured and homeless. Many survivors had to spend the night in shelters. About 300 people were found to be dead.

Strong aftershocks were continuing almost 36 hours after the quake hit. One of it was strong enough to move furnitures in building in Rome 95km (60miles) away. At least 5000 rescue workers were in the region and hospitals have appealed for help from doctors and nurses all over Italy. However, rescuers were forced to postpone their search as the aftershocks dislodged more rubble from the buildings.

L'Aquila, population of around 70000, had been left in a state of chaos. Buildings collapsed and others left with jagged tears down the wall. Between 3000 and 10000 buildings are estimated to have been damaged in L'Aquila.

Pouring rain overnight turned brick dust into a white sludge. The rescuers had to move bricks and broken pieces of woods with their bare hands.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi visited L'Aquila on the 2nd day and said that the country had the resources to handle the earthquake.

"The damage is more serious than we can imagine. The historic centre of L'Aquila has been devastated," Giuseppe Proietti, a culture ministry official in Rome, quoted.

The earthquake occured in Italy as a result of normal faulting on a NW-SE oriented structure in the central apennines , a mountain belt that runs from the Gulf of Taranto in the south to southern edge of Po basin in the northern Italy. The earthquake is related to the normal faulting and east-west extensional tectonics domintating the entire Apennine belt , primarily a response to the Tyrrhenian basin opening faster than the compression between Eurasion and African plates.