Earthquake Shakes Alpine Region in Italy

[emad]

Thursday September 8, 2005 3:01 PM


ROME (AP) - An earthquake rattled the Alpine region near the Italian ski resort town of Courmayeur on Thursday, officials said, but no damage or injuries were reported.

The tremor had a preliminary magnitude of 4.4 and its epicenter was at a depth of some 21,000 feet under the Pennine Alps in the Swiss-French border area, according to the National Institute of Geophysics in Rome.

A quake of magnitude 4 to 5 can cause moderate damage in populated areas. The national civil defense office said initial checks indicated no injuries or damage occurred.

The ANSA news agency, reporting from Aosta in northwest Italy, said some people on lower floors of buildings heard a creaking sound that lasted a few seconds.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5264036,00.html