Reports: Earthquake hits northern Italy
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-11-25 09:33

An earthquake rattled northern Italy on Wednesday, sending panicked residents into the streets and damaging buildings, news reports said. No injuries were reported.

The temblor had a magnitude of 5.2, said Enzo Boschi, president of the National Institute of Geophysics in Rome. The epicenter of the quake, which hit shortly before midnight, was near Lake Garda, about 60 miles east of Milan, he told national broadcaster Radio24.

The quake was felt across northern and central Italy, in cities including Milan, Turin, Genoa and Venice. In Milan and in some smaller towns near the lake, frightened residents spilled out of their homes, said the ANSA news agency.

Masonry fell off some buildings, while others suffered cracks, reports said. Authorities were still assessing the damage.

"Certainly there will be aftershocks, but they shouldn't be stronger than this," Boschi said.

Close

Today's Top News     Top World News
US$46,000 offered to nab Beijing drug dealers         China to audit senior military officers         Crash raises safety concerns         China, Cuba to stick to independent road         Donations of China to help Iraqi election         US rejects Ukrainian election results	Chirac arrives in Libya for first ever visit       Opposition calls for strike in Ukraine       Brazil gets UN approval for uranium enrichment       US soldiers find weapons caches in Fallujah       Pakistan's PM says peace with India hinges on Kashmir       Iran wants to change conditions of freeze