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Northeast Italy hit by 5.8 magnitude quake
A strong 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit northeast Italy today, just nine days after a quake in the same area which killed six people and left thousands in makeshift tent dwellings.
A strong 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit northeast Italy today, just nine days after a quake in the same area which killed six people and left thousands in makeshift tent dwellings.
"According to the National Institute of Geophysics, the quake registered at 0700 GMT was a magnitude of 5.8," Italy's Civil Protection agency said in a statement, after an earlier estimate of 5.7 magnitude.
The quake was felt throughout northern and central Italy, forcing the collapse of several structures already weakened by the 6.0 magnitude quake which hit on May 20.
No injuries have been reported so far, media reports said.
In Pisa, home of the famous leaning tower, offices were evacuated as a precautionary measure. People ran out into the streets from shops and offices in Milan, Bologna and the Aosta Valley, close to the French border.
Around 7,000 people who fled their homes in the region when the first earthquake hit are still living in around 89 tent camps erected in fields, sports fields, car-parks and schools. The camps can take up to 9,000 people.
The region has been hit by a series of quakes and aftershocks over the past two weeks.
