Terrified residents fled to the streets as two consecutive earthquakes rattled homes and prompted evacuations.
The initial tremor, as per the Italian National Institute of Geophysics, struck at 9:27am with a magnitude ranging between 4.0 and 4.5, centered in the Forlì-Cesena province, Italy. Shortly after, at 9:29am, a second quake hit the Ravenna area, with an estimated magnitude of 3.7 to 4.2.
Witnesses reported the quakes lasting up to five seconds each, causing buildings in Forli to shake, forcing people to run outside. The shallow depth of the quake at 14 miles made it widely felt, with no injuries reported thus far.
Evacuations were conducted, and schools near the epicenter in Emilia-Romagna closed as a precautionary measure. One resident in Faenza shared on social media about the strong tremors felt and the evacuation of children from classrooms.
Russi’s mayor, Valentina Palli, assured the public that authorities are assessing the earthquake’s impact and emphasized the importance of remaining calm. He confirmed evacuations but noted no damage reports.
Similarly, Faenza’s mayor, Massimo Isola, mentioned no damages reported, highlighting the composed response of residents during the evacuation and subsequent checks.
Reports indicated that people felt the earthquake effects as far as Milan, approximately 160 miles away, experiencing only minor shaking.
Train services were temporarily halted for safety inspections on several lines in Romagna, including Bologna-Rimini, Ferrara-Rimini, Castelbolognese-Ravenna, and Faenza-Ravenna.
Responding to the seismic activity, a Regional Operations Centre in Bologna, under the Territorial Security and Civil Protection Agency, initiated investigations led by Massimo Camprini and a specialized team on-site, collaborating with the fire department for assessments.