Carabinieri paramilitary police officers stand beside the body of a woman after an earthquake in Sant' Agostino near Ferrara May 20, 2012. A strong earthquake rocked a large swathe of northern Italy early on Sunday morning, causing at least three deaths and collapsing rural factories and ancient bell towers in towns.  REUTERS/Giorgio Benvenuti  ( ITALY - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT)

BOLOGNA: Panicked people rushed into the streets when a powerful earthquake shook northern Italy early Sunday, killing three people and injuring at least 50, emergency services said.

Thousands of people in the area rushed into the streets after the quake, felt in the major towns of Bologna, Modena, Ferrara, Rovigo, Verona and Mantua in Northern Italy.

There was one report of a roof collapsing in Sermide, a small town between Bologna and Verona, and of a woman inside calling for help.

Firefighters said there were some “structural collapses” near the town of Bondeno, and the initial quake was followed by a fairly strong 5.1 magnitude aftershock.

“It's in the Bologna-Ferrara area. There’s been a bit of damage, some structures have come down with people in them,” a person at the Ferrara firefighter headquarters said over the phone.

The powerful earthquake lasting 20 seconds killed a man working the night-shift in a workshop, that collapsed in a plastic-producing factory, near the city of Ferrara on Sunday, rescuers said.

Two other people were reportedly killed in another region.

First television pictures taken after dawn showed serious damage to historic buildings and rural structures. Parts of a historic fortress in one town collapsed.

A series of strong aftershocks hit the area and local mayors ordered residents to stay out of their homes.

The temblor woke residents in Bologna shortly after 0200 GMT, shaking furniture and setting off car alarms, a Reuters reporter living there said. People exited on to their balconies, but soon went back to bed, he said.

The quake, which initially registered at magnitude 6.3, was centered 22 miles  north-northwest of Bologna in northern Italy at a relatively shallow depth of 6.3 miles , the USGS said.

The last major earthquake to hit Italy was a 6.3 magnitude quake in the central Italian city of L'Aquila in 2009, killing nearly 300 people.

In January, a 5.3-magnitude quake in northern Italy was felt in Genoa, Bologna, Turin and Italy's financial capital, Milan.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.