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10 die in central Italy earthquakes
St. Francis of Assisi Basilica damaged
September 26, 1997
Web posted at: 11:59 a.m. EDT (1559 GMT)ASSISI, Italy (CNN) -- Earthquakes jolted a mountainous swath of central Italy early Friday, killing at least 10 people and damaging artworks and buildings, including the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, one of Christianity's most important shrines.
Most of the people were killed by falling rubble, dozens were injured and more than 1,200 were forced from their homes in the Umbria region. One victim reportedly died from a heart attack.
Civil defense officials said six of the deaths occurred during a sharp quake nine hours after the initial jolt at 2:33 a.m. (8:33 p.m. EDT Thursday/0033 GMT).
Part of the basilica's vaulted ceiling collapsed during the second jolt, and three bodies were removed from the rubble. A fourth body was still inside, said police official Rita Gaschella. At least two of the dead were Franciscan friars.
Scenes of destruction from Foligno, Italy
1.5/40 sec. QuickTime movie
The quake struck as a group was inspecting frescoes in the church damaged by earlier temblors, state television reported, quoting the mayor of Assisi. Also in the basilica was Associated Press photographer, Plinio Lepri.
"First there was a slight shock, then about 15 minutes later came the big jolt. The frescoes from above the main entrance fell, and I saw two bodies underneath," Lepri said.
"There was rubble everywhere," said Costantino Centuroni, an official who was with the group. "You couldn't see anything and you couldn't breathe. So we waited a few seconds for things to calm down and those of us who could, got out."
Rescue workers placed microphones in the debris to try to detect any sounds of survivors.
The first quake, the strongest at magnitude 5.5, was followed by at least 20 aftershocks. The initial quake was centered around the town of Foligno, and awoke people in Rome, about 90 miles to the southwest. The town of Macerata, near Italy's eastern coast, was heavily damaged.
The emergency center in Umbria had reports of buildings collapsing in the area of Serravalle del Chiante in an isolated mountainous area of Umbria and initial reports of some deaths and "many injuries."
Among the dead, according to the reports, were an elderly man and wife who were killed when their home collapsed.
The basilica is a popular tourist attraction. At least two frescoes on the life of St. Francis were damaged, according to the Rev. Nicola Giandomenico. The works, ascribed to Giotto, were done around 1300.
Piles of rubble were seen inside the doorway of the 13th- century monument to St. Francis. Robed friars stood nearby, looking stunned. In a nearby street, nurses brought weeping elderly women out from a rest home.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related story:
- Italian quake kills at least three - September 26, 1997
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