Vita gazette – Earthquake in Marradi, 4.9 magnitude shock felt in Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. Earthquakes were felt throughout Tuscany and in the Apennine areas of Emilia Romagna. Schools closed. Damage to Tredozio.
A strong earthquake occurred between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna shortly after 5 a.m. today, September 18th. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology estimated a magnitude of 4.9 and said the tremor occurred at 5:10 a.m. in Florence. Another one of magnitude 2.8 followed immediately, reported in the province of Forlì-Cesena. At the moment, there has been no damage to people or things. The shock had its epicentre three kilometres from Marradi and a depth of 8.4 kilometres. “There is a lot of concern, a lot of people on the streets, but no particular damage has been reported,” the mayor of Marradi, Tommaso Triberti, confirmed to Rainews24.
Damage to Tredozio
The earthquake caused damage in Tredozio (Forlì-Cesena). Several buildings were damaged. Schools closed for checks. A retirement home was evacuated. “We have many structures damaged, including the municipal building, and we are evacuating a portion of a retirement home, ten people”, explains Mayor Simona Vietina.
The population felt tremor in a large swath of the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines, with people taking to the streets as a precaution. In addition to Florence, about 40 kilometres away, the seismic waves reached other important cities such as Imola (BO) and Faenza (RA), 35 kilometres away. Bologna is also affected, as are the Romagna cities affected by the May flood and dozens of small municipalities in inland areas such as Palazzuolo sul Senio, Scarperia, Barberino del Mugello, Premilcuore, Borgo San Lorenzo and others.
The area affected by this morning’s seismic sequence is characterised by high danger, as demonstrated by the Seismic Hazard Map of the national territory (MPS04) and by the strong earthquakes that have occurred in the past. Interviewed by Rainews24, the president of INGV, Carlo Doglioni, clarified that “in that area, there was the Mugello earthquake, of 6.3, 6.4 magnitude, in 1919. Then, in 2019, a shock of magnitude 4.7. It is an extremely seismic area linked to the extension of the Apennines between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna”. In recent centuries, tremors of up to 8 have occurred in the territory of the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines.
Trains suspended
Rail traffic between Bologna and Florence has been suspended since 5:10 a.m. for technical checks after the earthquake. Traffic has instead returned to normal in Faenza, we can read on the Trenitalia website. High-Speed trains can be routed on the alternative route via Prato, with a longer travel time of up to 60 minutes. Regional trains may be subject to cancellations and route limitations. The replacement bus service is active between Borgo San Lorenzo and Florence.