ROME (ITALPRESS) – On the night of Aug. 24, 2016, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake quake killed 299 people in central Italy, injured 388 and displaced about 41,000, mainly in the area of Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto. “Eight years ago the catastrophic earthquake that devastated central Italy. The terrible tremor at 3:36 a.m., fixed in the minds of each of us by the stopped clock of the Civic Tower of Amatrice, triggered an earthquake sequence that unfolded its destructive effects for several months to follow and involved a very large territory of our nation,” comments Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “We will never forget the night of August 24, 2016. The images of the disaster, the destroyed villages, the pain and anguish of our compatriots, the heroism of the rescuers are pieces of a collective memory that time will not erode. On this anniversary, we remember those who are no longer with us and we embrace the families and loved ones of the victims: you were never alone, and Italy is and always will be at your side.”
“Eight years after that night, reconstruction is still not
completed. Much has been done, but just as much needs to be done to
give back to the central Apennines the future it deserves and to
respond to the desire of those born and raised in those places
to return to experience them. If the fundamental goal is to get
citizens into their homes, and the numbers testify that this is
progressively happening, restoring security and vitality to the
Central Italy,” he adds, “is the equally
essential to counter depopulation and prevent the
inland and mountainous areas from being abandoned. We cannot
allow this, because every village in Italy is a piece of the spirit
nation and guards our deepest identity.”
– Photo: Photogram Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
