Thousands evacuated from northeast Italy quake zone

About 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in northeast Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, where a magnitude 6.0 quake struck early Sunday killing at least six, civil defense services said.

Most were evacuated from the Modena area, while 500 were asked to leave their homes in the area around Ferrara.

Authorities were also forced to evacuate 500 detainees from the prison in Ferrara.

Meanwhile, a new strong quake struck the center of Sant’Agostino of Ferrara at around 1300 GMT, leading to the collapse of another part of the town hall which already had several gaping holes. The quake was also felt in Bologna and Milan.

The earlier fatal 6.0-magnitude quake was registered at 0204 GMT. Authorities said its epicenter was the commune of Finale Emilia, 36 kilometers (22 miles) north of Bologna, at a depth of only 5.1 kilometers (3.2 miles).

One person working a night shift died in the collapse of a factory and two others were killed in the collapse of another building. Rescue officials were checking reports that other people were buried under rubble.

First television pictures taken after dawn showed serious damage to historic buildings and rural structures. Parts of a historic fortress in one town collapsed.

Thousands of people in the area rushed into the streets after the quake, felt in the major towns of Bologna, Modena, Ferrara, Rovigo, Verona and Mantua.

A series of strong aftershocks hit the area and local mayors ordered residents to stay out of their homes.

Several church steeples also partly collapsed and hospitals were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The quake lasted around 20 seconds and was centered 22 miles (35 km) north-northwest of Bologna at a relatively shallow depth of 6.3 miles (10 km), the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The last major earthquake to hit Italy was a 6.3 magnitude quake in the central Italian city of L’Aquila in 2009, killing nearly 300 people.