Terrified residents fled to the streets after back-to-back earthquakes rattled homes, prompting evacuations. The initial quake, as per a preliminary assessment by the Italian National Institute of Geophysics, struck at 9:27 am with a magnitude ranging from 4.0 to 4.5, centered in the Forlì-Cesena province in Italy. Shortly after, at 9:29 am, a second quake hit the Ravenna area, estimated to be between 3.7 and 4.2 in magnitude.
Witnesses reported that each tremor lasted about five seconds, causing buildings to shake in Forli, forcing people to evacuate onto the streets. The shallow depth of the quake at 14 miles made the tremors widely felt, but fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries thus far.
Authorities conducted evacuations and closed schools in nearby municipalities as a precaution around the quake’s epicenter in Emilia-Romagna. A resident from Faenza mentioned on social media the intensity of the quakes, with children being safely evacuated from classrooms.
Valentina Palli, the mayor of Russi in the Ravenna province, emphasized the importance of staying calm while authorities assess the situation following the earthquakes. The mayor reassured the public of no reported damage in the area.
Residents in Milan, located 160 miles away from the epicenter, also reported feeling the tremors, describing the shaking as mild. Train services were temporarily suspended for safety checks on various lines in Romagna.
A Regional Operations Centre in Bologna, under the leadership of Massimo Camprini, from the Territorial Security and Civil Protection Agency, is overseeing the investigation with a specialized team on-site working alongside the fire department for initial assessments.