Many Carinthians and East Tyroleans were already in bed on Wednesday evening when they felt a “violent jolt”. The earth shook at 10:19 p.m., the epicenter was around 13 kilometers southwest of Tolmezzo in northern Italy. Geosphere Austria writes of a magnitude of 4.8. The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC), however, reports that it was an earthquake of magnitude 5.0 according to Richter.
“As if a bomb had exploded”
The descriptions of how the earthquake was perceived vary: it is said to have lasted three to five seconds, some Italians even report shaking for around ten seconds. An Italian explains that it sounded like a bomb had exploded in front of his house. Another compares the earthquake to the “last notable event in this region,” referring to the Easter 1998 earthquake.
Exciting: Less than half a minute later, the earth in northern Italy shook again. According to Geosphere Austria, there was an earthquake of magnitude 4.0 in Schlanders in South Tyrol’s Vinschgau region. And there were also aftershocks: at 10:34 p.m. there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 0.8 according to Richter, the one at 10:45 p.m. reached 2.2 again (according to Geosphere even 2.6) and at 11:33 p.m. there was another earthquake (magnitude 0.9). All three took place again in the Tolmezzo area, and 12 more have followed so far, according to EMSC.
Reports of the earthquake
On the EMSC homepage, a person affected from nearby Kötschach-Mauthen reported: “I have never felt such a strong (earthquake) in Carinthia.” A man from Lesachtal, around 37 kilometers north of the epicenter, even writes of a “rough blow”. The tremor was also felt by some people in Villach. Numerous reports also came from East Tyrol; people from Lienz, Matrei and Sillian reported “significant jerking” or wobbling television sets. Some people from Salzburg even reported that they had felt the quake.
Many people in Slovenia also reported that they had felt the earthquake – especially in Jesenice, Bled, Kranj and Kranjska Gora. But the tremor was likely to have been felt even in Croatia, if one of those affected from Umag, more than 100 kilometers from the epicenter, is to be believed.
Power outage and falling bricks
How “Veneto Messenger“ reported that there were no injuries and no significant damage so far. Riccardo Riccardi, Friuli-Venezia Giulia’s civil protection councilor, said that the situation was under control and that mayors, authorities, civil protection technicians and firefighters were working to identify any damage. Especially with unoccupied buildings, there could be problems that may need to be identified. Civil protection is prepared for such situations and has once again proven this.
Especially around the epicenter, people are said to have run into the streets out of fear. In nearby Forni di Sopra there was a power outage for a few seconds. Coriglio Zannier, mayor of Socchieve, told “Rainews24“They were very afraid, some bricks had fallen down, but now things will return to normality.